Australian Building Replaces R22 ACs with Hydrocarbon Units

Aging R22 packaged units in Terrey Hills, Sydney, have been replaced with Polaris hideaway units charged with M60 hydrocarbon-based refrigerant.

Polaris hydrocarbon AC condensing units outside office building in Terrey Hills, Northern Sydney, Australia

Polaris Technologies, an Australian HVAC OEM based in the northern Sydney suburb of Frenchs Forest, recently installed its hydrocarbon-based air-conditioning units at a one-story office building in Terrey Hills, Northern Sydney, occupied by Unisson Disability, a provider of disability insurance. 

There, aging R22 HVAC systems were replaced with Polaris equipment for both cooling and heating.

These included the “HideAway Series,” ducted packaged units that don’t require an outdoor unit, and the Intelligent Series, split systems with investor technology that are designed to replace R22 HVAC systems by leveraging existing equipment. Both series employ M60, a hydrocarbon refrigerant blend from Engas consisting of under 35% propane, more than 60% propylene, less than 5% isobutane, and less than 1% butane. 

The new systems use 50% less refrigerant than the previous one, including .54kg (1.2lbs) of M60 per HideAway unit, and 1.9kg (4.2lbs) per Intelligent Series unit.

The Polaris systems were commissioned in early December and have delivered comfortable 22°C (71.6°F) conditions. Ambient temperatures at the site in Sydney have reached up to 45°C (113°F) this summer while humidity reached over 80%.

The tenant commented that during start-up mode, conditions pull down to a comfortable level within 30 minutes.

The highly efficient reverse-cycle Polaris systems are expected to cut energy consumption in excess of 65% compared to the old energy-hungry R22 systems, according to Tony Power, its Managing Director Power. “These energy savings and the simplification of the installation process have resulted in a win for the owners and for the environment,” he said. 

For an in-depth look at Polaris Technologies and its hydrocarbon AC systems, see article in the March 2020 issue of Accelerate Magazine, to be published at this website on March 10.

By Ilana Koegelenberg (@Ilana_Ed)

Mar 05, 2020, 10:30




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