R410A “drop-ins” match performance
31st July 2016
FRANCE: Two new “drop-in” alternatives to the air conditioning refrigerant R410A are said to have exhibited very similar performance in experimental tests.
The two refrigerants, Chemours DR-5A (R454B) and Honeywell’s L41-2 (R447A), were tested in a 10kW air-to-water heat pump in order to compare their performance as drop-in low GWP alternatives to R410A.
The GWP of the alternative refrigerants are considerably lower than the GWP of R410A. Compared to R410A’s 2088, the GWP of L41-2 is 583 and DR-5A is 466. Both blends comprise similar proportions of R32 (~68-69%) with an HFO – R-1234ze(E) in the case of L41-2 and R1234yf in the case of DR-5A. In addition, L41-2 also contains around 3.5% of R125. Both alternative refrigerants are A2L “mildly flammables”.
The tests were carried out according to the standard EN14511 on a 10kW air-to-water reversible heat pump at the French CETIAT testing and calibration laboratory near Lyon.
The results of those tests were presented at this month’s 16th International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Conference at Purdue University, USA.
Across a range of rating conditions and operating limits, cooling performance was said to be better than that achieved with DR-5A than that with R410A, from +3 to +6% for the cooling capacity and from +10 to +12 % for the EER. With L41-2, greater EER is obtained, from +4 to +14%, but cooling capacities were slightly lower, between -1% to -7%, compared to those with R410A.
In heating mode, DR-5A achieved a COP equivalent to or greater than that with R410A – between -3% and +13%. Heating capacities obtained were said to be mainly lower than those with R410A, from -8% to -3%.
Heating COPs for L41-2 were -4% to +11% compared to R410A but heating capacities ranged from -31% to -2% lower.
Related stories:
https://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/r410a-subs-perform-well-at-high-ambients/
https://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/at-least-80-new-refrigerants-under-test/
