R-404A REPLACEMENT GATHERS PACE USING HFC/HFO BLENDS

The use of non-flammable and mildly flammable HFC/HFO blends replacements for R-404A continues to expand for retrofit and new installations.
• Recent Swedish study reporting performance data of R-449A as R-404A alternative.
• R-448A installed in a chain of South Korean supermarkets.
• R-455A for a new French warehouse for fruit storage.

A recent Swedish study reports performance data for an indirect commercial refrigeration system retrofitted with R-449A, a non-flammable alternative to R-404A with a F-Gas GWP value of 1397 (64% lower than that of R-404A,). Results indicate that after retrofit, cooling capacity was 1.3% lower while the COP values are higher (8.1% increase on average). The compressor discharge temperature increase is approximately 18.5 K. The study by the Applied Thermodynamics and Refrigeration KTH Royal Institute of Technology concluded that R-449A can be used as a replacement to R-404A in indirect low-temperature supermarket refrigeration systems given that implications of its higher compressor discharge temperature, lower mass flow and difference in transport properties are taken into consideration.

R-448A, a non-flammable alternative to R-404A with a F-Gas GWP value of 1387 (65% lower than that of R-404A) is being installed in a chain of South Korean supermarket stores over the next seven years and is expected to provide at least 3% lower energy consumption in low-temperature applications, as well as 5% to 16% in medium-temperature applications, compared with current refrigerants. This adoption is the first supermarket company in South Korea to implement R-448A. Source: Energy Manager Today.

A new R-455A system has been installed in a wholesale storage facility in France, where pre-graded apples are stored in two 1,000 m3 cold rooms, each at a temperature of 1°C, for one to two weeks before they are transported to a packing and shipping site. The system design took into account the refrigerant's glide by adjusting the defrosting function. The mildly flammable A2L R-455A has a F-Gas GWP of 148 and is a close capacity match to R404A in commercial refrigeration low temperature applications.

Source: Cooling Post