Chemours offers new low GWP blends

GERMANY: Chemours has announced the availability of its new range of low GWP HFO-based “mildly flammable” refrigerants.

The official launch at the Chillventa exhibition in Nuremberg today creates a number of alternatives to higher GWP refrigerants in new equipment.

The new Opteon XL Series currently comprises five refrigerants. Joining the now well established R1234yf – the R134a replacement which Chemours is selling as Opteon XL10 – come two potential alternative blends to replace R404A/507 and two new blends to replace R410A. All four are based on different combinations of R1234yf and R32 and fall into the A2L “mildly flammable” category.

Opteon XL20, which has the ASHRAE designation R454C, is Chemours’ lowest GWP option for R404A in new equipment designs. Originally developed by Chemours as DR-3, it is said to offer similar performance when replacing R404A and R407C in low- and medium-temperature commercial and industrial applications. Its GWP of 146 falls under the 150-threshold of the European F-gas regulations, making it particularly suitable for hermetically-sealed systems.

Its “sister” refrigerant Opteon XL40 (R454A) is similarly blended from R1234yf and R32, but sacrifices some of XL20’s low GWP by increasing the amount of R32 in the mix to offer a higher performance, higher cooling capacity option to R404A. According to Chemours its GWP of 238 offers an optimal balance of properties.

Opteon XL41 and XL55 are Chemours’ new low GWP options to R410A in new DX air conditioning, heat pump and chiller applications.

Carrying the ASHRAE designation R454B, XL41 has a GWP of just 467 and is Chemours’ lowest GWP replacement option for R410A in new equipment designs.

Like the two R404A replacements, Chemours’ other R410A option – Opteon XL55 (R452B) – sacrifices some GWP for greater performance. Developed as DR-55, XL55 adds a small amount of the HFC R125 to the R1234yf/R32 blend to give it a GWP of 676. It has been promoted by Chemours as a better option to R32 in the transition away from R410A due to its lower discharge temperatures.

Due to their flammability, the XL refrigerants are only designed to be used in new equipment specifically designed for their use and not for retrofit applications.

There are said to have been a wide variety of test programmes carried out by component manufacturers and Chemours reports some significant interest from “early adopters” amongst finished product manufacturers. Imminent changes to standards such as EN378 are also expected to encourage the use of lower GWP A2L refrigerants in a wider range of applications.

Related stories:

https://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/chemours-r410a-replacement-to-be-r452b/

https://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/low-gwp-refrigerants-win-at-high-ambients/