Refrigerant r22 replacement Options

  Facing the increasing regulatory pressures to eliminate high-GWP refrigerants, many alternatives are being proposed. Generally speaking, there is a trade-off between GWP and flammability. As seen in Figure 1, most of the old non-flammable ‘signature’ refrigerants have no simple low-GWP drop-in replacements: in other words, flammability is linked to GWP and refrigerant capacity. Lower GWP and higher capacity comes with increased flammability. The main method to reduce GWP of HFCs is to make them chemically unstable (unsaturated) so they, in case of release to the atmosphere, will break down within a short time frame and not remain in the atmosphere. The main unsaturated fluoro-chemicals, also known as hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs), are R1234yf, R1234ze (E), and R1233zd. They have very low GWP levels, are non-flammable or classified as lower flammable, and belong to a group of lower density refrigerants. Pure high density HFO’s such as R1132 (E) are unfortunately too unstable to use. To obtain lower GWP of higher density HFCs blends between HFOs and HFCs are made. As seen in Figures 3A and 3B, the proposed blends within the same group are similar to each other, with the main differences being based on which ‘R1234 type’ is used and the exact refrigerant it is replacing.     In Figure 2 and according to ASHRAE 34, refrigerants are divided into classes depending on toxicity and flammability. A1 refrigerants are non-flammable and have very low toxicity. At the other end of the scale, with high flammability and high toxicity, no B3 refrigerants are available. Hydrocarbons, characterized by low toxicity and high flammability, require special precautions. Ammonia, on the other hand, is highly toxic and flammable. It is widely used, especially in industrial refrigeration due to its high energy efficiency. The A2L subgroup is made up of refrigerants with a lower flammability. Flame propagation speed is low, less than 10 cm/s. These refrigerants are already playing a significant role as we move away from the old high-GWP HFCs.  

Pros & Cons for specific refrigerant

There are application-specific pros and cons for using a specific refrigerant. Some important questions to ask could be : how do the energy-efficiency improvement schemes match? Is it intended for a fast drop-in or is it part of a major redesign cycle? What are the climate conditions and will the local markets be ready to handle the refrigerant? What is the impact of glide from a service an energy perspective? Will it make sense to go for one type of refrigerant or will a dual strategy be better? Today it is evident that A2L refrigerants are efficient and available. Components are available for the main A2L refrigerants. For R1234ze, some special conditions apply. R1234ze is categorised as an A2L refrigerant but is only flammable above 30°C. Therefore, EN378, which is harmonised with the EU PED Directive, does not recognize R1234ze as a hazardous substance, but as a PED Group 2 fluid. This has the positive effect that it avoids material traceability for pipes and components until 100 mm in normative diameter while the other flammable refrigerants need traceability at 25 mm.