ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - 26
FEATURE
Refrigerant
Flammability and the
Transition to A2Ls
INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW PANSULLA
For nearly 100 years, chemists have been charged with addressing a growing list of
factors when developing the " next new " refrigerant to serve market needs. These
factors have ranged from performance and sustainability to safety, economic viability
and more. This article explains some of the challenges of the global refrigerant
transition as well as safety measures and adhering to ASHRAE standards as the market
transitions to mildly flammable A2L refrigerants.
What is the Backstory on Flammable Refrigerants
In HVAC Design and Applications?
In recent years, the criticality of significantly
reducing global warming potential (GWP) has been
one of the main drivers of refrigerant innovation.
While global warming concerns started to gain a
louder voice in the 1970s and '80s, the 2016 adoption
of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol
marks a significant point in the refrigerant transition
time line. The amendment focused on phasing down
production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs) that contribute to global warming. With
GWP being the focus, HFO-1234yf-as well as other
low-GWP hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs)-were invented
and introduced into the marketplace to be used as
stand-alone refrigerants in some applications, such
as mobile comfort cooling, and as blend components
Andrew Pansulla is technical service engineer at The Chemours Company.
26
ASHRAE JOURNAL ashrae.org MAY 2024
for air-conditioning and refrigeration applications.
Many HFOs such as R-1234yf have an ASHRAE safety
classification of lower flammability (A2L). However,
their environmental profiles allow for lower GWP
values compared to incumbent HFCs.
For example, R-410A, a 50-50 blend of R-32 (an
A2L) and R-125 (an A1), is an ASHRAE Standard
34 nonflammable A1 refrigerant blend. However,
to achieve a lower GWP, R-454B was invented as a
replacement for R-410A. R-454B is a blend of two
A2L components-68.9% R-32 and 31.1% R-1234yf.
This results in an ASHRAE Standard 34 safety
classification A2L (lower flammability) refrigerant.
While efficiency and capacity between the two is
comparable, R-454B's GWP of 467 is approximately
78% lower than R-410A's GWP of 2,088. The takeaway
is, however, that in achieving a lower GWP in R-454B,
we trade off the flame suppressing ability that R-410A
benefited from. Still, as an A2L, R-454B falls in the
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ASHRAE Journal - May 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - May 2024
Contents
ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - Intro
ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - Cover1
ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - Cover2
ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - 1
ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - Contents
ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - 3
ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - 4
ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - 5
ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - 6
ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - 7
ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - 8
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ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - Cover3
ASHRAE Journal - May 2024 - Cover4
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