Recyclers News Press
Page 17
Recovery of the New Refrigerant R-1234yf
In addition, several independent authorities evaluated the
safety of the product in vehicles and some concluded it
was as safe to use as R-134a used in cars today.
In December 2012, tests by Mercedes-Benz showed that
the substance ignited when researchers sprayed it and A/
C compressor oil onto a car's hot engine. Stefan Geyer, a
senior Daimler engineer who ran the tests, stated
"We
were frozen in shock, I am not going to deny it. We need-
ed a day to comprehend what we had just seen."
Combustion occurred in more than two thirds of simulated
head-on collisions. The engineers also noticed etching on
the windshield caused by the corrosive gases. BMW, and
VW-Audi agreed with Mercedes and left the SAE R-1234yf
CRP Team, stating that the performed tests are not suffi-
cient to fully judge the safety of their vehicles. The German
Automakers have been leaning towards carbon dioxide
refrigerant that is safer for both passengers and the envi-
ronment.