Numerical method on predicting distribution of leaked refrigerant in indoor space and its experimental observation.

HFC refrigerant (R32) is an environmental-friendly refrigerant compared to the existing R410A refrigerant with only one third of the global warming potential (GWP), which is generally used in developed countries. Because R32 is a mild flammable refrigerant, safety assessments are necessary to ensure the safeness of R32 air-conditioner before launching it into the market. This study presents a novel simulation method to evaluate the flammable risk in case of R32 leakage from indoor air-conditioner. Precision of this method is verified by comparing the simulation results and the experimental observation using R32 loaded actual equipment. We focused on a residential floor mounted air-conditioner model which is considered to have a higher risk of fire compared to the other household models.