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The Chemours Company has announced it will suspend the supply of high GWP refrigerants R-404A (GWP 3922) and R-507A (GWP 3985) to the European Union from January 1, 2020.

The suspension is driven by the European Union F-Gas regulation to lower GWP alternatives and prepare for the next quota phasedown in 2021.

The F-Gas Regulation (REGULATION (EU) No 517/2014) mandates specific prohibitions of use, as outlined in Annex III of the legislation. As of January 1, 2020, there will be a prohibition of the use of stationary refrigeration equipment that contains, or whose functioning relies upon, HFCs with GWP of 2,500 or more (except equipment intended for applications designed to cool products to temperatures below -50°C).

In addition, the regulation reduces the amount of HFCs placed on the market over a 15-year period with the next quota phasedown taking effect as of January 1, 2021.

In a statement, Opteon said this can be achieved by transitioning away from high-GWP refrigerants such as R-404A and R-507A to lower-GWP refrigerants such as those in the Opteon portfolio.

Chemours offers several options for a smooth and effective transition:  Opteon XP40 (R-449A), a solution for the retrofit of existing equipment, and Opteon XL40 (R-454A) and XL20 (R-454C), long-term sustainable solutions designed for new equipment, the statement said.

Opteon XP40 (R-449A), an A1 class refrigerant with a GWP of 1397 by AR4 measurement.

“It is currently the refrigerant of choice among leading supermarkets, retailers, contractors, distributors and end-users in the EU for retrofit. It delivers improved performance and energy efficiency with a more sustainable environmental footprint and offering over 65% reduction in GWP compared to R-404A,” Chemours said.

“Opteon XL40 (R-454A) is a low GWP (239), A2L class, hydrofluoroolefin (HFO)-based refrigerant with the optimal balance of properties to replace R-404A in positive displacement, direct expansion low- and medium temperature commercial and industrial applications.

“Opteon XL20 (R-454C) with a GWP of 148, is a non-ozone depleting, A2L hydrofluoroolefin (HFO)-based refrigerant offering similar performance to R-404A, while enabling end-users to achieve <150 GWP and allowing higher charge sizes than other Class 3 highly flammable alternatives.”

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