How fast are you going to be moving away from HFC refrigerants and how many A2L’s are we going to have? (thinking new equipment)
Today, the speed of the switch to low greenhouse effect refrigerants is directly linked to the regulations (quota) and the availability of equipment for A2L refrigerants. We have 2 pure HFOs with GWP < 1 and some blends with GWP < 150 to meet the market needs. Ultimately we will end up with 4 or 5 refrigerants, as we do today, which will allow us to run chilled and frozen cooling, and air conditioning systems.
A glance in the crystal ball: until which year will A2L refs continue being used in manufacturing of AC equipment globally?
There are transitional A2L fluids, especially those for use at high pressure such as R-32 or R-452B, which we know will have a life span of only a few years due to their fairly high GWP in view of the future reductions in F-Gas quotas.
All mixtures or pure molecules of HFO with a GWP of less than 150 are long-term solutions under all international regulations.
Will A2L refrigerants be available in all European countries in order to fulfil the demand from contractors?
Our European distribution network has access to HFOs and the entire supply chain is organised to meet the demand of all our customers in Europe and the rest of the World.
Is R-1234yf likely to be replaced for something else in the near future? Specifically for Automotive applications.
R-1234yf is used in all automotive air conditioning systems in the world today. It has a GWP <1 and is therefore a long-term solution for this application.
In Refrigeration we can measure very high efficiencies in condensing units, low risk and similar system cost structure vs R134a, so a change would need to evidence significant benefits in efficiency/cost that are not envisioned today.
What is A2L refrigerant? What does it mean? Is it Safe to Environment?
Let’s look at each individual character: A 2 and L.
The letter defines toxicity : The A defines a non-toxic
The number defines the flammability class : 2L is mildly flammable
The 2L category is defined by the lower flammability limit (need concentration ≥ 3.5% in the air), by the burning velocity (≤ 10cm/s), and the heat of combustion (≥ 19000 kJ/kg). The refrigerants (HFC/HFO blends) with a lower GWP and good efficiency are more environmentally friendly than refrigerants with a high GWP. The pure HFOs with a GWP <1 and high efficiency are environmental friendly.
Watch the webinar replay: Be part of eco responsible refrigeration !