Information on refrigerants, as of June 2022

Many of the refrigerants used (fluorinated refrigerants) are environmentally harmful and internationally regulated (Montreal Protocol or EU F-GaseV). This information sheet summarizes the most important points regarding the selection and availability of refrigerants and gives recommendations. In Germany, around 14% of all electrical energy is used for cooling processes. The resulting emissions have a significant impact on our climate and are referred to as indirect CO2 emissions. Direct emissions from chillers are caused by leaks and the resulting escaping of refrigerants. Refrigerant is also released during maintenance, filling and disposal of the system. Refrigerants have different effects on the environment.

The GWP value of a refrigerant defines its global warming potential in relation to CO2 (also known as the CO2 equivalent). CO2 has a normalized GWP of 1. This means that the GWP value indicates by how much the refrigerant has a greater impact on the greenhouse effect than CO2. A GWP value is always related to a time horizon and thus describes the effects on global warming in the given period. For currently applicable regulations, e.g. in Europe, the F-gas regulation is referenced to a GWP100 and therefore describes the effects of a greenhouse gas over a time horizon of 100 years. The latest publication by the IPCC shows that the next 10-20 years will decide whether the international climate agreement will be complied with or not. A consideration of the GWP20 is therefore relevant in terms of climate policy, but not legally binding. As mentioned, the GWP100 applies here.

The EU F-Gas Regulation (Regulation (EU) No. 517/2014), which came into force in 2015, aims to reduce CO2 equivalents from fluorinated greenhouse gases to around 21% by 2030. To this end, the total amount of CO2 equivalents, the fluorinated greenhouse gases, permitted on the market is gradually being reduced (see Figure 1). The baseline is 183.1 million tonnes (100%) [3] , which is the average amount of CO2 equivalents placed on the European market between 2009 and 2012. To compensate for this value, the whole of Germany would have to do without road traffic for 1.25 years or stop the agricultural sector for 2.7 years (as of 2020). Refrigeration systems with a charge of >40 tons of CO2 equivalents, which are operated with a refrigerant with a GWP of over 2500, have been prohibited by Article 13 since January 1st, 2020. The exception to this is for systems with a useful temperature below -50 °C and for maintenance and repairs with recycled refrigerants. From 2030, no recycled refrigerants may be used for systems with application temperatures >-50 °C. A revision of the F-Gas Regulation was eventually proposed in 2022.

Supply and demand determine the price in the free market economy. Regulations and the associated limited availability of refrigerants on the market inevitably lead to a price increase for GWP refrigerants. The first restriction of the maximum amount of CO2 equivalents to be placed on the market in 2017 resulted in a sharp increase in the price of refrigerants. The high rise in the price of refrigerants has led to an illegal market for GWP refrigerants forming within the EU since 2018. As a result of this and the additional storage of refrigerants, according to the Öko-Recherche Report, there was an oversupply of refrigerants in the third quarter of 2019, which led to a price reduction for refrigerants (Figure 2).

TFA is formed in the body through the oxidation of halothane and an increase in the ALT concentration is recorded after administration and decreases again after administration is stopped. The same characteristic can be seen in the direct addition of TFA to drinking water from the UBA study. Before chemicals are introduced into the environment, it must be proven that they are harmless to both humans and the environment. It is only a matter of time before there will be negative effects on humans and the environment.

ECHA stands for European Chemicals Agency and is based in Helsinki, Finland. ECHA is responsible for the implementation of the EU chemicals regulation REACH, the Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals, more information can be found here.

Based on the proposal to restrict PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances), submitted to ECHA by the authorities in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden on 13 January 2023, a ban on several thousand substances is on the cards. The proposal aims to reduce PFAS emissions into the environment and make products and processes safer for people and the environment. A ban would affect various refrigerants, including all HFO refrigerants and some established refrigerants that are also part of refrigerant blends. HFO refrigerants in particular decompose in the atmosphere to form TFA; a highly mobile and persistent short-chain PFAS.

An online information session will be organised on 5 April 2023 to explain the restriction process and to help those who wish to participate in the 6-month consultation phase starting on 22 March 2023.
Furthermore, all low GWP mixtures are affected as they contain HFO.
E.G. R-452A/B, R-454A/B, R-455A, R-469A,

The aim of energy efficiency measures is to reduce the overall energy requirements of processes by lowering the quantitative and qualitative losses that occur when converting, transporting or storing energy. Cooling systems require more drive energy (with a constant heat sink and a constant cooling capacity) the lower the useful temperatures are. The ratio of the refrigeration capacity and the drive power is described as the refrigeration coefficient of performance. In typical refrigeration systems for air conditioning, the coefficient of performance is in the order of 3. This means that for 1 kW of drive power, a refrigeration system provides 3 kW of refrigeration capacity for air conditioning. The maximum coefficient of performance that can be achieved in a loss-free, reversible process is described by the coefficient of performance of a Carnot cycle. This is purely dependent on the ambient temperature (heat sink) and the useful temperature (heat source). The lower the usable temperature is required, the lower the cooling performance number of a refrigeration machine. Different refrigeration processes have different efficiencies depending on the temperature. Compression refrigeration systems (2-stage booster systems or cascades) are more efficient compared to cold air refrigeration technology down to useful temperatures of -50 °C. From temperatures of -70 °C, cold air cooling technology is most efficient. Liquid nitrogen is often used for process cooling. This process differs fundamentally in that the refrigerant (nitrogen) is consumed and has already been produced in an air separation plant at temperatures of -196 °C. Generating liquid nitrogen at -196 °C requires significantly more energy than generating process temperatures of -80 °C with a refrigeration system. The use of nitrogen at high temperatures therefore leads to high nitrogen consumption and high energy costs, which are usually not included in the balance sheet of the manufacturing company. The choice of refrigeration technology therefore requires knowledge of the sensible areas of application for the different refrigeration technologies. You can find out more about energy efficiency in our freely available ULT report.

Due to the refrigerants used (e.g. R404A, R410A, R499A, R23), the majority of refrigeration systems for low-temperature technology are subject to the EU F-Gas Regulation. Currently, high GWP refrigerants are permitted until at least 2030 due to the exception of Article 13 of the F-Gas Regulation. Due to climate policy goals, operators will be faced with further restrictions on the use of refrigeration systems with a high GWP in the coming years. Among other things, the -50 °C exception when using high GWP refrigerants is increasingly being criticized and possible phase-downs are being proposed. In order to continue to ensure production reliability, strategic decisions must be made at an early stage and investments must be made in future-proof technologies. Anyone who is currently investing in new systems and retrofits with a high GWP (e.g. R452A) runs the risk of no longer being able to operate their systems after 2030, since either maintenance is prohibited or the availability of the refrigerants decreases sharply and the costs for maintenance increase significantly. In the long term, future-proof technologies will be solutions with natural refrigerants, because on the one hand they are environmentally friendly and efficient and on the other hand they are free of any regulations. For applications below -50 °C, cold air cooling technology and cascade systems with flammable refrigerants have become established and are already being used safely in many applications. In addition to new systems, the existing systems must also be considered. Many systems can be equipped with a retrofit of the refrigeration side without changing the actual process.