Feb. 12, 2013—The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) concluded that safety concerns over Honeywell’s new low-CO2 mobile air conditioning refrigerant are based on “unrealistic testing,” according to a Honeywell news release.
SAE International said that it has a “high level of confidence” that Honeywell’s HFO-1234yf refrigerant is safe for use in automobiles.
The SAE initiated a Cooperative Research Project (CRP) after a Daimler test on the refrigerant involving a simulated leak resulted in the coolant bursting into flames.
The SAE said the CRP’s latest evaluation included Daimler’s concerns, but found that refrigerant is highly unlikely to ignite.
The HFO-1234yf is already in use by the auto industry and Honeywell claims it reduces the global warming impact by 99.7 percent over its predecessor, HFC-134a.
