Hydrocarbon refrigerant for Austria’s new trains

The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) is advancing its shift to more sustainable rail transport with the rollout of new battery-electric trains featuring propane-based climate control systems.

Liebherr-Transportation Systems has been commissioned to supply the (HVAC) systems, using technology the company developed with R290 hydrocarbon refrigerant.

Each train will be equipped with three saloon HVAC units and two units in the driver’s cab.

Propane (R290) is gaining attention as a cleaner, more energy-efficient refrigerant, with ozone depletion potential of zero, global warming potential (GWP) of three and strong cooling performance with lower energy consumption.