The Chemours Company (Chemours) announced that to support the market transition driven by the European Union F-Gas regulation to lower GWP alternatives and prepare for the next quota phasedown in 2021, they will be suspending supply of high GWP refrigerants R-404A (GWP 3922) and R-507A (GWP 3985)in the European Union as of January 1, 2020.
The F-Gas Regulation (REGULATION (EU) No 517/2014) mandates specific prohibitions of use, as outlined in Annex III of the legislation. As of January 1, 2020, there will be a prohibition of use of stationary refrigeration equipment that contains, or whose functioning relies upon, HFCs with GWP of 2,500 or more (except equipment intended for applications designed to cool products to temperatures below -50°C).
In addition, the regulation reduces the amount of HFCs placed on the marketover a 15-year period with the next quota phasedown taking effect as of January 1, 2021. This can be achieved by transitioning away from highGWP refrigerants such as R-404A and R-507A to lower-GWP refrigerants such as those in the Opteon portfolio. Chemours offers several options for a smooth and effective transition: Opteon XP40 (R-449A), a solution for retrofit of existing equipment, and Opteon XL40 (R-454A) and XL20 (R-454C), long-term sustainable solutions designed for new equipment.
Opteon XP40 (R-449A), an A1 class refrigerant with a GWP of 1397 by AR4 measurement, is currently the refrigerant of choice among leading supermarkets, retailers, contractors, distributors and end-users in the EU for retrofit, delivering improved performance and energy efficiency with a more sustainable environmental footprint and offering over 65% reduction in GWP compared to R-404A.
Opteon XL40 (R-454A) is a low GWP (239), A2L class, hydrofluoro-olefin (HFO)-based refrigerant with the optimal balance of properties to replace R-404A in positive displacement, direct expansion low- and medium temperature commercial and industrial applications.
Opteon XL20 (R-454C) with a GWP of 148, is a non-ozone depleting, A2L hydrofluoro-olefin (HFO)-based refrigerant offering similar performance to R-404A, while enabling end users to achieve <150 GWP and allowing higher charge sizes than other Class 3 highly flammable alternatives.
Opteon 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.
