Źródło: AC Group

R32 refrigerant – new regulations for air-conditioning devices

In relation to regulations introduced by the EU, from 1st January 2025 the use of refrigerants which have GPW greater than or equal to 750 will be prohibited in devices containing up to 3 kg of the refrigerant. In the following article we discuss what these changes are and what benefits they bring.

Refrigerants are used in air-conditioning devices installed to air-condition rooms, both domestic and industrial, among others, Split air conditioners or chillers. The European Parliament has established that due to the lower harmfulness of the R32 refrigerant, manufacturers of cooling systems and heat pumps must replace R410A and R290 refrigerants with it.

What do you have to know about R32 refrigerant?

R32 refrigerant is characterised by a great stability and prominently lower greenhouse effect potential – for comparison for R32 GWP indicator is at the level of 675, and for R410A – 2088, as we can see the difference is significant. GWP indicator depends on the substance’s ability to absorb red radiation and the length of time it remains in the atmosphere. R32 refrigerant breaks down within 5 years, that is why it isn’t a threat to the ozone layer.

Just the benefits for the environment?

The indicated changes bring much more benefits. It’s worth to mention that R32 refrigerant is characterised by better efficiency which positively affects the operation of devices. It can be said that the air conditioning efficiency increased by up to 10%. What is more, it is cheaper (about 20% than R410A), easier to source as well as to recycle and reuse. It can also be charged in liquid and gaseous states. Thanks to its higher operating pressure content its filling becomes 30% lower. It allows reducing the dimensions of the cooling device, while maintaining its performance parameters at the same time – we gain space while maintaining the same efficiency.

R32 refrigerant safety

R32 refrigerant was classified as 2L class, which means that this refrigerant is with lower flammability and toxicity level and can be safely used in air conditioning. Sparks which occur by switches or relays can’t cause ignition. Even full leakage of R32 refrigerant in a small room won’t reach the lower flammability limit of 0.306 kg / m3.

To sum up, nowadays the R32 refrigerant is a much better solution that brings long-term benefits. When choosing an air-conditioning device it’s worth paying attention to the fact that it operates with this refrigerant. When it comes to existing systems, it must be checked how to convert them into R32 – our specialists will be happy to suggest the optimal solution.

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