The Chemours Company has announced that the EPA Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program in the United States has listed a number of Opteon products for acceptable use.
The low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants listed by SNAP include Opteon XP44 (R-452A), Opteon XP40 (R-
449A), and Opteon XP10 (R-513A).
The SNAP program was established to support the transition away from ozone-depleting compounds.
Opteon XP44 (R-452A) is now listed as acceptable for use in new and retrofit equipment for refrigerated transport (refrigerated trucks and trailers) and remote condensing units used in retail food refrigeration.
Opteon XP44 has a GWP approximately 50 per cent lower than R-404A and was specifically designed for applications where low compressor discharge temperatures are required, Chemours said.
"XP44 provides the closest discharge temperature match to R-404A, which makes it an ideal replacement for applications
such as transport refrigeration and hermetic compressor systems, especially in low temperature." the company said in a statement.
The approval of Opteon XP40 (R-449A) has expanded to include use in new and retrofit cold storage warehouse and industrial process refrigeration equipment. The EPA previously had listed XP40 as an acceptable refrigerant in several commercial and retail food refrigeration applications.
"Opteon XP40 provides equipment owners and contractors with an excellent solution to replace R-22 or R-404A in retrofits or new equipment, with up to 12 per cent improvement in energy efficiency and a 67 per cent lower GWP than R-404A," Chemours said.
Finally, the acceptable use of Opteon XP10 (R-513A) has been expanded to include use in new and retrofit residential dehumidifiers.
Opteon XP10 is already acceptable for use in numerous applications, including chiller and retail food refrigeration applications.
As an azeotropic, non-flammable replacement for HFC-134a, Opteon XP10, offers a 55 per cent reduction in GWP compared to HFC-134a, while also maintaining comparable properties and performance.
Chemours said this optimal combination of properties, particularly its non-flammability and design compatibility to R-134a equipment, gives Opteon XP10 a distinct advantage over other refrigerant options.
The company's vice president for fluorochemicals, Diego Boeri, said customers expect Chemours to be on the cutting edge of new technology to meet the evolving challenges they face.
“These new EPA SNAP listings ensure that low GWP refrigerants by Chemours are available for applications our
customers need," he said.
"The Opteon portfolio was developed to help meet increasingly stringent global regulations while generally maintaining or improving performance compared to the products they replace.
"Chemours has and continues to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to develop this portfolio of new products and additional capacity as the need for low GWP solutions grows throughout the world."