Two-year-old Danish sensor manufacturer Typhon Technologies has unveiled its first liquid-level switch that is free of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) for refrigeration systems and heat pumps using natural or synthetic refrigerants.
The TTLLSW liquid-level switch uses PEEK (polyether ether ketone) in sealing instead of the PFAS known as Teflon or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), said Typhon CEO and Co-Founder Martin Mozart Ernst. He described the new switch in an interview with NaturalRefrigerants.com at the manufacturer’s booth at Chillventa 2026 in Nuremberg, where the product was on display.
PFAS comprises a class of more than 10,000 chemicals that have been used in a wide spectrum of industrial applications, with Teflon being a well-known anti-stick substance in cookware. Some of these chemicals, such as PFOA and PFOS have been linked to adverse health effects. While Teflon itself is not considered harmful, the chemical used in its production in the past (PFOA) is associated with cancer, immune suppression and high cholesterol.
“We have listened to what the market is demanding, and we have also listened to the news that PFAS is not very good for people and the environment,” said Ernst. “So we changed our production for our switches and now we have the first one that is PFAS-free.”
Typhon still offers a version of the switch that uses Teflon because it is €25 ($28) less expensive than the PFAS-free model (€375/$420 compared to €400/$448).
“If we have more and more demand, we can also lower prices for [the PFAS-free model],” he said. Ernst expects that in two years, by the next Chillventa, only the PFAS-free switch will be offered.
Ernst noted that Typhon was already employing the PEEK material in its devices and obtaining more was not a problem. In changing the sealing to PEEK, the company just needed to be sure it was working correctly and not allowing leaks. He said the performance is the same as before.
More to come
Typhon is now looking into using PEEK in its other sensor devices. “It's actually more or less the same sealing we have in this one as we have in our [liquid-level] sensors,” said Ernst.
The company’s approach is to develop devices that can be used with all refrigerants and systems. The PEEK switch, for example, has a range of uses, from oil return and ammonia (R717) to ammonia/CO2(R744) cascade, where it can detect a leak of CO2 into ammonia. It is configured with Typhon app through Bluetooth.
We have listened to what the market is demanding, and we have also listened to the news that PFAS is not very good for people and the environment.
Martin Mozart Ernst, CEO and Co-Founder of Typhon Technologies
Another company offering PFAS-free components is Italian manufacturer OLAB, which has replaced Teflon by using PFAS-free gaskets in its valves for CO2 (R744) systems. The company harnesses EPDM (ethylene propylene) O-rings in its products to provide what it calls leak-proof sealings.
Under a regulation called REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is currently considering a sweeping restriction of PFAS that would ultimately ban certain f-gas refrigerants and other PFAS components of refrigeration systems.
