Opteon® XL20 (R-454C)

The new refrigerant gas with very low GWP ideal for professional dehumidifiers

Chemours Company, founded in July 2015 as a spin-off from the multinational giant DuPont De Nemours, has invested significant resources in the invention and commercial development of HFO 1234yf and the blends derived from them, for air conditioning and refrigeration. The Company's goal is to be a leader in pursuing objectives of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, offering high value to its customers and distributors.

The “Opteon® XL” range of very low GWP refrigerant gases allows to overcome the current and future challenges posed by the European F-Gas regulation. The Opteon® XL20 (R-454C) refrigerant fluid allows manufacturers to offer machines with low energy consumption and, consequently, with minimal environmental impact.

BIEMMEDUE DR 2021 dehumidifiers are equipped with the new ecological refrigerant gas R454C

To comply with the new regulations, the new BIEMMEDUE dehumidifiers designed and built in compliance with the F-gas directive (EU) No. 517/2014 of the European Parliament, equipped with the new ecological refrigerant gas R454C, which has very low GWP values ​​and allows, at the same time, to maintain high energy efficiency

Patented and manufactured by Chemours Company, with a GWP of only 148, it is based on the well-known HFO 1234yf. The presence in the mixture of HFC R32 allows to increase the capacity and energy performance while remaining in a very good hazard class: A2L. This allows refrigerant charges up to 54 kg on a single circuit. It is the ideal refrigerant gas for dehumidifiers, compact monobloc systems, condensing units and refrigeration units for food distribution and heat pumps.

The Goals of the new Series

The refrigerant gas used up to the time of choosing Opteon® XL20 was the well-known HFC R407C, with medium GWP (about 1800). Ensuring sustainability meant choosing a gas with GWP <150 without compromising performance or raising production costs. The technological choice on the new gas to adopt was not easy and many test sessions were needed to compare 4 types of refrigerant gas. The possibility of using hydrocarbons such as R290 would have entailed a series of constraints and problems that BIEMMEDUE has chosen to overcome.

BIEMMEDUE testing laboratories

Equipment projects are conceived using CAD-CAM systems and developed in a test laboratory equipped with sophisticated test and inspection equipment, based on functionality, performance and safety criteria. In the realization, the high quality standard is ensured by the constant innovation of the production and assembly structures. In addition, particular care is taken in the selection of suppliers of materials and components which, according to company policy, have a preferential “made in Italy” origin. Strict controls are envisaged starting from the receipt of materials and components, at each processing stage up to the final testing which takes place on 100% of the equipment produced.

The results of the tests on R454C and the risk analysis

Once two gases (based on HFO) with GWP <150 were selected, BIEMMEDUE conducted in-depth tests both on the compatibility of the components and on the performance. The goal was not to lose efficiency compared to the well-tested and optimized R407C, excellent for these applications and difficult to overcome. The R454C gas has "won" the comparison with a fearsome competitor being able to give a glide quite similar to R407C and therefore being able to perform well with the already widely tested design. The risk analysis was done internally with the initial support of a well-known specialized company in the province of Vicenza. The small offices involved have given the green light to the internal certification carried out by the quality and safety managers.

The opinion of the Management Staff of BIEMMEDUE S.p.A.

“Biemmedue has decided to invest in the future by testing and using the new class A2L refrigerant gas for very low gwp Opteon® XL20 (R-454C) air treatment. What was the initial drive for change? The limit imposed by the legislation on the use of a low GWP gas has prompted us to find a new solution "

Ing. D. Caravero R&D Manager

"When we think of" green "we usually also consider R290, R600, CO2 ... The use of class A3 gas would have had an impact on production and use by end users. R454C was easy to adopt and allows an excellent value proposition to our customers, low flammability and good performance "

The Marketing & Sales Staff

BIEMMEDUE is engaged every day with Research and Development in the adaptation of the machines to the new regulations for the respect of the environment, both (as in this case) to the use of "green" refrigeration gases, and to the combustion of generators. hot air for NOx reduction.

General Gas is a technological partner rather than a simple supplier and is helping hundreds of companies in the difficult transition from medium and high GWP HFC gases to new gases.

“We believe in a technological development in the air conditioning and refrigeration sectors which, above all, can be sustainable. For us, sustainability means low environmental impact combined with low production costs and above all operating costs of competitive plants over the entire life of the equipment. "

Ing. Carmine Marotta G.M. Marotta Group

"The experience gained with the R&D department of BIEMMEDUE S.p.A. has been of fundamental utility in understanding how the new HFO-based gases can be easily adopted in circuits already designed and optimized over the years. On the other hand, carrying out new projects "from scratch" using refrigerants with high explosion hazard or with very high operating pressures requires massive investments which inevitably fall on the costs of finished products. Containing GWP means little if energy efficiency and operating costs are sacrificed to do so. This is why R454C proves to be an excellent choice.

Ing. Stefano Fedeli Marketing & Development Manager

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