Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine January 2020

S tate, National, Chapter News State national Chapter News

Prepared” does pay dividends in the real world. Today, the writing is on the wall for refrigerants such as R-410A, R-134a, and R-404A, which are being phased down around the world. These refrigerants are greenhouse gases that have a very high global warming potential (GWP). R-410A, for example, is classified as a super-polluter. While the United States has not done much about these refrigerants at the federal level, many individual states are implementing their own policies which are similar to the now-overturned EPA SNAP 20 and 21 Rules, the Paris Climate Accord, and the Kigali HFC Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. So, what are we left with? Where do we go from here? From CFCs to HCFCs to HFCs to......? HFOs and HFC/HFO blends with a low GWP are where the industry is headed. The one caveat to this transition is that these refrigerants have an ASHRAE classification of A2L. Up until now, the refrigerants used in comfort cooling and refrigeration systems have been A1s. Let’s review exactly what A2L and A1 mean. ASHRAE Standard 34 assigns these designations to refrigerants based on their level of flammability and toxicity.

Toxicity is represented by a letter, A or B. A is low toxicity and B is higher toxicity. Flammability is represented by a number, 1-3. 1 is no flammability and 3 is the highest flammability. The “2” category has been divided into class 2 and class 2L. The 2L refrigerants have a lower probability of ignition and a lower severity of ignition events compared to the class 2 and class 3 refrigerants. Industry standards, such as ASHRAE 15 and UL 60335-2-40, have been revised this year (2019) to incorporate A2L refrigerants for commercial and residential equipment. Some states have or intend to adopt these standards into their building codes. Equipment manufacturers have begun research and development, engineering, and testing A2L systems. Their time is coming, will you be prepared? How should you prepare? One easy way is to interact with the manufacturers face-to-face. While HVACR wholesalers and manufacturers’ representatives are great sources of information, there is no substitute for going directly to the source. The companies that develop, manufacture and distribute A2L refrigerants have a global perspective, and can assist you in