News

R-455A PREFERRED TO CO2 FOR NEW CONDENSING UNITS IN MEDITERRANEAN REGION

10 October 2020

Efficiency at the usual operating temperatures resulted in a decision not to use CO2 for condensing units even though the company had invested heavily in CO2 (R-744) technology in the past. The company also concluded that the CO2 technology would involve complex installation management, which is, without doubt, expensive in the system life span. Refrigerant R-455A with a GWP of less than 150 was selected to meet F-gas Regulation requirements for 2022 for commercial refrigeration systems while offering greater operating efficiency, based on several comparative studies for the use of A2L refrigerants in commercial refrigeration.

As part of the equipment design needed to classify the flammability and explosion risks for the A2L refrigerant were classified and the installation conditions were analyzed, with the aim of identifying the technical and engineering solutions. Two series of units with a maximum refrigerant charge of 6 and 14 kg represented most of the market demand. The analysis process enabled the identification of easily applicable solutions to avoid redesigning the circuit and without installing ATEX-proof components, while safely using a refrigerant that meets the long-term requirements of the F-gas Regulation.

R-455A is an A2L mildly flammable HFC/HFO blend of R-744/32/1234yf (3.0/21.5/75.5%). Its GWP is 148 (F-Gas AR4 GWP values) or 146 according to AR5 GWP values.
Source manufacturer’s information and see also Cooling Post

Copyright: Shutterstock-Cefic

Translate »