Already in 1999 Kaco started to bring up the engineering of a shaft seal for compressors in CO2 air conditioning systems. The design was virtually ready for serial production when the global automobile industries unexpectedly moved to using a chemical alternative. A substance called R1234yf was to be applied. The substance is flammable and while burning the highly toxic hydrogen fluoride, aka hydrofluoric acid, is released. The risks and hazards have been recognized by now by almost the entire german automobile industry. In particular, the hazards were clearly obvious when a Daimler B-class caught fire under test conditions and hydrofluoric acid was released in extensive amounts. Further, in the atmosphere R1234yf opens up to trifluoroacetic acid, a phytotoxin. There is great concern about the accumulation of a high concentration of the phyotoxin to be found subaerially when applying R1234yf in air conditioning systems.
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The automobile manufacturers Daimler, BMW and VW have recognized the hazards and acknowledged them on an environmental level and have therefore resolved officially to take CO2 air conditioning to serial production to be applied in their vehicles.
KACO participate in the development and take on the task to design the shaft seal for the CO2 compressor. In 2009 already all essential specifications were fulfilled.
With this product KACO take the industry one step closer towards a green mobility. In terms of: Moving forwards with less emissions!