Barbara Haviland Minor | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Bucknell University |
Awards | Dupont Fellow, Perkin Medal |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | DuPont, Chemours |
External videos | |
---|---|
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Barbara Haviland Minor is an American chemical engineer, known for the development of refrigerants. She was technical leader for chemical company DuPont in the development of R-1234yf, [1] a refrigerant which, as of 2018, was used in 50% of all new vehicles produced by original equipment manufacturers, [2] and which represented an important contribution to countering global warming. [3]
Minor was one of five women to be named a Dupont Fellow in 2014, [1] the first year that the company named women to its highest technical level. [4] In 2018, she was awarded the Society of Chemical Industry's Perkin Medal, given annually for 'innovation in applied chemistry resulting in outstanding commercial development'. [3]
Minor graduated from Bucknell University in 1981 [5] with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering. [3] [6]
Minor worked at DuPont from 1981 to 2015, when she moved to the spinoff company Chemours [3] in Wilmington, Delaware. [7] Minor develops new refrigerants for air conditioning and refrigeration systems. Her work supports the phasing out of ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and of hydrofluorocarbons that contribute to global warming. [3]
Minor was the technical leader for the research group at DuPont that developed HFO-1234yf, [1] [8] a hydrofluoroolefin that can reduce emissions from automotive air conditioning by more than 99%. [3] HFO-1234yf has a much lower global warming potential (GWP) than the previously used R-134a: its 100-year GWP was originally calculated as 4, [9] and later recalculated as <1, [10] [11] compared to 1430 for R-134a. HFO-1234yf also has a lower atmospheric lifetime (11 days compared to 14 years), and higher energy efficiency under many conditions. [9]
The Dupont team worked jointly with researchers at Honeywell. [8] [9] As a replacement for R-134a, HFO-1234yf is marketed as Opteon yf by Dupont [1] (later Chemours), [12] and as Solstice yf by Honeywell. [13] As of 2018, 50% of new vehicles produced by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are believed to use HFO-1234yf for air conditioning. [2]
Minor helped to develop both the XP (2014) and XL (2016) lines of refrigerant for Dupont and Chemours. [14] In addition to alternative refrigerants for use in automobiles, [15] more ecologically friendly refrigerants have been developed for supermarket refrigeration systems (XP40) [16] commercial freezers (XL20), [17] reach-in coolers and freezers (R450A), [18] beverage coolers (HFO-1234yf), [19] [20] large building chillers (XP30), [14] transport units with self-contained refrigeration (XP44) [14] [20] [7] direct expansion air conditioning, chilled water air conditioning and heat pumps (XL41, XL55). [21] Minor is also a co-inventor of Dupont's ISCEON MO99 (R438A), a possible replacement for R22, and Suva 95 (R508B), a possible replacement for R13 and R503. [6] [22] A number of these refrigerants involve HFO/ HFC blends. [23] [24]
Minor holds more than 160 patents in the United States, for her work on refrigerants, cleaning agents, and aerosol propellants. [3] [25] [26]
She is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers ( ASHRAE) and the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute ( AHRI). She has chaired the AHRI's Research group and the AHRTI's Technology and Steering committees. [27]
Barbara Haviland Minor | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Bucknell University |
Awards | Dupont Fellow, Perkin Medal |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | DuPont, Chemours |
External videos | |
---|---|
![]() |
Barbara Haviland Minor is an American chemical engineer, known for the development of refrigerants. She was technical leader for chemical company DuPont in the development of R-1234yf, [1] a refrigerant which, as of 2018, was used in 50% of all new vehicles produced by original equipment manufacturers, [2] and which represented an important contribution to countering global warming. [3]
Minor was one of five women to be named a Dupont Fellow in 2014, [1] the first year that the company named women to its highest technical level. [4] In 2018, she was awarded the Society of Chemical Industry's Perkin Medal, given annually for 'innovation in applied chemistry resulting in outstanding commercial development'. [3]
Minor graduated from Bucknell University in 1981 [5] with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering. [3] [6]
Minor worked at DuPont from 1981 to 2015, when she moved to the spinoff company Chemours [3] in Wilmington, Delaware. [7] Minor develops new refrigerants for air conditioning and refrigeration systems. Her work supports the phasing out of ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and of hydrofluorocarbons that contribute to global warming. [3]
Minor was the technical leader for the research group at DuPont that developed HFO-1234yf, [1] [8] a hydrofluoroolefin that can reduce emissions from automotive air conditioning by more than 99%. [3] HFO-1234yf has a much lower global warming potential (GWP) than the previously used R-134a: its 100-year GWP was originally calculated as 4, [9] and later recalculated as <1, [10] [11] compared to 1430 for R-134a. HFO-1234yf also has a lower atmospheric lifetime (11 days compared to 14 years), and higher energy efficiency under many conditions. [9]
The Dupont team worked jointly with researchers at Honeywell. [8] [9] As a replacement for R-134a, HFO-1234yf is marketed as Opteon yf by Dupont [1] (later Chemours), [12] and as Solstice yf by Honeywell. [13] As of 2018, 50% of new vehicles produced by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are believed to use HFO-1234yf for air conditioning. [2]
Minor helped to develop both the XP (2014) and XL (2016) lines of refrigerant for Dupont and Chemours. [14] In addition to alternative refrigerants for use in automobiles, [15] more ecologically friendly refrigerants have been developed for supermarket refrigeration systems (XP40) [16] commercial freezers (XL20), [17] reach-in coolers and freezers (R450A), [18] beverage coolers (HFO-1234yf), [19] [20] large building chillers (XP30), [14] transport units with self-contained refrigeration (XP44) [14] [20] [7] direct expansion air conditioning, chilled water air conditioning and heat pumps (XL41, XL55). [21] Minor is also a co-inventor of Dupont's ISCEON MO99 (R438A), a possible replacement for R22, and Suva 95 (R508B), a possible replacement for R13 and R503. [6] [22] A number of these refrigerants involve HFO/ HFC blends. [23] [24]
Minor holds more than 160 patents in the United States, for her work on refrigerants, cleaning agents, and aerosol propellants. [3] [25] [26]
She is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers ( ASHRAE) and the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute ( AHRI). She has chaired the AHRI's Research group and the AHRTI's Technology and Steering committees. [27]