KU Engineering Tests New Environmentally Friendly Refrigerant at Watson Library
When researchers at the University of Kansas wanted to test a new, environmentally friendly “chiller system” for large buildings, they didn’t have to go far — they chose Watson Library on the KU Lawrence campus.
“It just makes it easier to monitor,” said Mark Shiflett, Foundation Distinguished Professor of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering.
Two 900-ton York chiller units cool and dehumidify the nearly century-old Watson Library building, and until recently both units used hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants to do the job. But federal law requires most hydrofluorocarbon use to be phased down over the next 15 years — so Shiflett’s team retrofitted one of the chillers to use a new hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) refrigerant called Opteon XP10.