The Chemours Company is to suspend supply of high GWP refrigerants R404A and R507A in the European Union as of January 1 2020.
The refrigerant manufacturer said that the move is intended to help the market prepare for the next quota phasedown in 2021. The high-GWP refrigerants (GWP of 2,500 or more) will not be allowed to be used in their virgin form for servicing larger systems (over 40 tonnes CO2 equivalent) from 1 January, under the terms of the F-Gas regulations. As of 1 January, 2020, customers will not be able to buy stationary refrigeration equipment that contains, or whose functioning relies upon, the higher GWP refrigerants (except equipment intended for applications designed to cool products to temperatures below -50 deg C).
In addition, Chemours added, the next HFC quota phasedown will take effect as of 1 January, 2021. It said: ”This can be achieved by transitioning away from high-GWP refrigerants such as R404A and R507A to lower-GWP refrigerants… Chemours offers several options for a smooth and effective transition: Opteon XP40 (R449A), a solution for the retrofit of existing equipment, and Opteon XL40 (R454A) and XL20 (R454C), long-term sustainable solutions designed for new equipment.
The company said Opteon XL40 is a low GWP (239), A2L class, HFO-based refrigerant with the optimal balance of properties to replace R404A in positive displacement, direct expansion low- and medium temperature commercial and industrial applications. Opteon XL20 (R454C) with a GWP of 148, is a non-ozone depleting, A2L HFO-based refrigerant offering similar performance to R404A, while enabling end-users to achieve <150 GWP and allowing higher charge sizes than other Class 3 highly flammable alternatives.
Chemours added: ”Opteon’s low GWP HFO refrigerants are a portfolio of sustainable and versatile refrigerants that meet the long-term needs of the refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pump, and chiller markets. They have been developed to help meet increasingly stringent global regulations while maintaining or improving performance compared to the products they replace, as well as encouraging more sustainable refrigerant choices and equipment designs to reduce the carbon footprint of the HVACR industry. Specifically, in Europe, the very low GWP Opteon XL refrigerant portfolio supports the market transitions required by the F-Gas Regulation and enables customers to select their optimal solution – considering performance, safety, sustainability, and total cost of ownership.”
