Refrigerant R1234yf becomes the main automotive air conditioning refrigerant

From January 1, 2017, all new vehicles produced and sold in Europe are prohibited from using GWP >150 refrigerant. It can be seen that the phasing out of R134a (GWP=1300), which is widely used as a refrigerant for automotive air conditioners, will become an inevitable trend. DuPont and Honeywell's fourth-generation refrigerants R1234yf and R1234ze are considered to be the next-generation environmentally friendly refrigerants to replace R134a, so R1234yf will be used first in automotive air conditioners.

According to experts in the air-conditioning and refrigeration market, the ODP of HFO1234yf is 0 because the molecule does not contain chlorine atoms; because HFO1234yf has a lifetime of only 11 days in the atmosphere, GWP is 4, and the atmospheric decomposition products are the same as HFO134a, and the influence of HFO1234yf on the climate environment Almost negligible, much smaller than HFC134a. Safety HFO1234yf has no flash point, self-ignition point is 405 °C, which is weak flammability. HFO1234yf flammability is much smaller than the currently known flammable refrigerants. HFO1234yf is a low-toxic chemical substance, which belongs to ASHRAE toxicity classification. Grade, but when inhaled can cause drowsiness and inattention, dizziness, eye, skin and respiratory system discomfort.

After several years of rigorous testing, HFO1234yf has been recognized by many automakers in the US, Europe, Japan and South Korea, and has begun commercial preparation. This year Honeywell has started working with major Chinese automakers to test HFO1234yf.

As early as June 2008, SAE held the Automotive Air Conditioning Refrigerant Alternative Conference in Scotel, Arizona. The HFO-1234yf refrigerant jointly developed by Honeywell and DuPont was recognized as the most suitable for automotive air conditioning refrigeration. The new generation of refrigerants replaced by agents will occupy a monopoly position in the global automotive air conditioning refrigerant market in the future. On February 6, 2009, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Automotive Air Conditioning Association (MACS) jointly organized the HFO1234yf commercialization conference in Dallas, USA, once again demonstrating the status of HFO1234yf in automotive air conditioning refrigerants. On August 6, 2009, Honeywell announced in New Jersey, USA that Japanese regulators have approved the export of HFO1234yf to Japan and its use in Japan, marking a significant advance in the global application of new refrigerants.

In the research and development of HFO1234yf, Arkema is not far behind, has launched a new product industrialization plan, using HFO1234yf as the fourth generation refrigerant to replace HFC134a in automotive air conditioning systems. At present, Arkema has produced a laboratory-scale number of HFO1234yf and plans to invest in HFO1234yf in Europe. With the EU's ban on the use of refrigerants with GWP above 150, HFO1234yf, as a major substitute for HFC134a refrigerants, has also attracted the attention of companies such as Honeywell and DuPont, who have invested heavily in development. Has applied for a number of patents, including a large number of Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications, involving reaction synthesis, purification and recovery and catalysts, reflecting the broad application prospects of HFO1234yf.