There are several regulations that seek improvement in refrigerants used for any type of air conditioner or air conditioning in terms of environment and industrial cold. The European regulation dealing with fluorinated gases also stipulates that gas alternatives with a reduced global warming potential (GWP) must be sought. First, CO2 was considered an ideal alternative, but after several published studies, the use of this natural refrigerant was questioned. The new updates also introduce a new classification of refrigerants: A2L. In this post we will face both refrigerants CO2 vs A2L.
CO2 refrigerants
Both the depletion of the ozone layer’s potential and global warming led refrigeration retailers to search for environmentally friendly refrigerants.
In this context, CO2 or carbon dioxide , began to be postulated as the ideal refrigerant gas thanks to characteristics such as the presence of good refrigeration properties or being considered as one of the most promising ecological refrigerants thanks to its low level of GWP, especially in refrigeration systems in the food sector.
But in recent years, studies have been published that question the sustainable quality of CO2 refrigerants. Before this situation, alternatives were sought that had a lower GWP and that had greater energy efficiency.
A2L refrigerants
It is known as A2L refrigerant to those refrigerant gases with low flammability (slightly flammable) and that have a lower atmospheric warming potential than traditional refrigerant gases, without losing the performance of the latter.
At present, and in accordance with the different regulations on energy efficiency and the elimination of gases with a high Atmospheric Warming Potential (PCA), these types of gases are beginning to be implemented in commercial refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
The updates include a new classification in the safety and flammability criteria, incorporating the 2L classification between groups L1 and L2, leaving the order of classification in groups 1, 2L, 2 and 3. Within the safety classification, these types of A2L refrigerants fall within Group 2, those of medium safety, although the safety of A2L refrigerants is higher than the rest of the refrigerants included in this group, thanks to its characteristics.
A2L refrigerant gases have beneficial characteristics, here are the main ones:
- Its toxicity index is low
- They are slightly flammable (flame spread less than 10cm/s)
- Restricted flammability area
- Low Global Warming Potential (GWP).
- Good balance between PCA and flammability, it manages to keep the PCA low without increasing flammability.
- Suitable for equipment condensed by air or water
- Greater energy efficiency than traditional refrigerant gases
- Use in smaller equipment
- They must be charged in the liquid phase, although for simple fluids such as R32, R1234yf or R1234ze they can also be charged in the gas phase.
In general, A2L-classified refrigerant gases have greater energy efficiency, and that, together with the aforementioned characteristics, make them perfect for use in refrigeration and air conditioning systems.
Finally, specifically created refrigerants, such as those of the A2L classification, can offer better energy efficiency than CO2 , as well as lower costs and, therefore, they are presented as a good alternative for the future.