About this presentation

related to ATMOsphere America 2012
published on 13 June 2012
17 pages
310 KB

Richard Maruya presents the first hydrocarbon refrigerant to be approved for sale in the United States, namely R441a, a blend of pure hydrocarbons. He shows that compared to single‐component hydrocarbons, these blended hydrocarbons can demonstrate higher energy savings, reduced charge rates, lower risk of flammability, smaller size system components, improved cooling capacity, faster cooling operation and reduced component wear. His presentation describes the successful use of R441a in a Whirlpool residential refrigerator, a Haier residential refrigerator and a Toyota T100 truck, as well as case study results for use of R443a in two commercial air‐conditioning units at Cal Expo. Operational efficiency and cost results are presented, along with a discussion of lessons learned and plans for the next installations.

About the speaker(s)

Richard Maruya (with Steven Mella)

 

A. S. Trust & Holdings, a Saipan (U.S. Commonwealth) is a company dedicated to the development of energy-efficient, climate-friendly refrigerants.

Richard Maruya has combined his 40-plus years of experience as an automotive technician with his knowledge of traditional CFC-based air-conditioning/refrigeration systems to create a line of multi-blend pure hydrocarbon refrigerants. Working in partnership with independent testing labs and consultant George Whitmyre, he has also designed appropriate, proprietary safety-valve hardware which can be used with flammable refrigerants.

As a life-long resident of Hawaii, Richard received the U.S. EPA Region IX 2008 Environmental Achievement Award for “innovative work developing the Hydro Carbon Refrigerant 188C as an environmentally safe and efficient alternative to the traditional hydrocarbon-based products harmful to the ozone layer.” He holds multiple U.S. and international patents.