The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute's (AHRI's) Low-GWP Alternative Refrigerants Evaluation Program (Low-GWP AREP) Technical Committee has published the results of recent tests conducted by the research and development team at Zamil Central Air Conditioners.

The rooftop packaged unit was tested at the Ikhtebar laboratory, one of the leading HVAC testing labs owned by Zamil Air Conditioners in Dammam. The tests were part of the AHRI's Low-GWP AREP. The industry-wide cooperative research program was implemented to identify and evaluate alternative refrigerants for use in major product categories that can replace the current group of high-GWP refrigerants.

The test report compared performance when R-32 is utilized in existing R-410A air-conditioning units in high-ambient environments. The research and development engineers utilized a standard 21kW rooftop packaged air conditioner manufactured by Zamil Central Air Conditioners to assess the capacity and performance of R-32 in a unit designed to operate using the R-410A refrigerant. They switched out the machine's ZP61K5E Copeland Scroll compressor used for the baseline test with a prototype Copeland Scroll R-32 compressor.

Results confirmed that R-32, a low-GWP alternative and potential replacement for R-410A, was compatible and demonstrated higher capacity at high ambient temperatures. R-32 capacity was recorded at 16 percent higher than that of R-410A, with an increased energy efficiency ratio of up to 10 percent. Zamil Central Air Conditioners is scheduled to present the complete research results at the upcoming AHRI Low-GWP AREP Conference in Orlando, Florida, USA, on January 21, 2016.

'With this achievement, we have succeeded in introducing Zamil Central Air Conditioners and the Ikhtebar lab as a reliable research and test-verification partner for global and regional organizations like AHRI, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) in evaluating new, low-GWP refrigerants in high-ambient applications,' commented Mohammed Khawaldeh, Director of Unitary & Applied Product Units at Zamil.

The Zamil Central Air Conditioners' engineering team includes more than 200 research, development and technical services specialists active in three locations in Saudi Arabia and Europe. They collaborate to provide a full spectrum of services, from initial research to equipment development, customization and testing.

The team is equipped with the knowledge, skills, capabilities and facilities to create customized solutions to technical challenges that arise within the oil and gas, industrial, commercial, educational, and utilities sectors, among others. The company's regional and international presence enables its specialists to remain at the forefront of new technologies, new regulations and emerging customer needs and solutions.

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