Many commercial refrigeration systems have historically leveraged HFC refrigerants, but those high-GWP compounds are also being phased out as part of the Kigali Amendment to the United Nations’ Montreal Protocol.
Without a system redesign to accommodate the type of compressor needed to manage a CO2-based system – which may not make sense for smaller convenience-store style systems - these platforms are shifting toward hydrofluoro-olefin refrigerants (sometimes known as A2L) which have a lower GWP than HFCs.
However, these refrigerants are also slightly flammable, and as such need a leak detection sensor in order to comply with UL requirements (specifically UL60335-2-40)
