As part of an education initiative and to increase industry awareness, equipment manufacturers and electronics suppliers have joined forces to create an R32 Fact Sheet.
The Fact Sheet addresses the most common questions surrounding the introduction of R32 and has been released by the
Airconditioning and Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturers Association of Australia (AREMA) and the Consumer Electronics Supplier Association (CESA).
Covering almost five A4 pages, the R32 Fact Sheet has been created to address any misunderstandings regarding safety and flammability.
The Fact Sheet outlines the meaning of "mildly flammable" and answers the question: How easy is R32 to ignite?
"Ignition of R32 is difficult even if it is attempted intentionally," the Fact Sheet said.
It also explains why Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) refer to R32 as extremely flammable.
This is because the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) classifies gases by the percentage concentration of gas required to create a flammable mixture in air.
"Other important factors such as how easy the gas is to ignite or how it behaves once ignited are not taken into consideration," the Fact Sheet said.
A full page is dedicated to decomposition and the question: Does R32 cause cancer?
"As is the case with all fluorinated refrigerants, R32 will decompose and produce toxic byproducts such as hydrogen fluoride and carbon dioxide when burnt...the likelihood of R32 being present within its flammable range and then being ignited is extremely rare," the Fact Sheet said.
A more probable, but still rare scenario for R32 thermal decomposition, would be a leak into an enclosed space that has an open flame source such as a gas heater close to floor level.
"In this scenario, with a wall mounted split system mounted directly above the combustion heater, testing has shown that the production of hydrogen fluoride from leaked R32 is no more than the hydrogen fluoride produced by non-flammable refrigerants such as R410A," the Fact Sheet said.
"As HCFC and HFC refrigerants have been used in air conditioners for close to 50 years without major concern about the toxic byproducts of combustion, any risk associated with decomposition R32 can be managed in the same manner as existing fluorinated refrigerants."