Current Development Status of Non-CFC Alternatives for Automotive Air - Conditioning with CFC Regulation

The Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to stop further depletion of the ozone in the stratosphere, was concluded in 1987 in Montreal, Canada as an effort of the global environmental protection through worldwide control of the production and the use of specific ozone-destroying substrances. More than 80 countries responded to the intent of the Protocol by placing special controls as well as the teminationg programs on the production and use of chlorofluor-ocarbons (CFC), beginning of July 1, 1989. Since the automobile and related industries are major consumer of CFC-12 for automotive air conditioner and in servicing shops handling the air conditioners, the role of the industry for environmental protection is very important.

The paper will attempt to discuss an overview on the current R&D status of non-CFC (HCF-134a) application, the refrigerant of choice to replace CFC-12, in automotive air conditioning in the viewpoint of responding to CFC regulations including the short or intemediate actions to be taken for minimizing CFC emissions.