R-407C

R-407C is a mixture of hydrofluorocarbons used as a refrigerant. It is a zeotropic blend of difluoromethane (R-32), pentafluoroethane (R-125), and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R-134a). Difluoromethane serves to provide the heat capacity, pentafluoroethane decreases flammability, tetrafluoroethane reduces pressure.[1] R-407C cylinders are colored burnt orange.
This refrigerant is intended as a replacement for R-22 in existing refrigerators.[2] R-22 production will be phased out by 2020 as per the Montreal Protocol as the chlorine in R-22 can lead to ozone depletion.[3] As the components in R-407C lack chlorine it does not contribute significantly to ozone depletion in the stratosphere. Despite improved environmental impact with respect to ozone depletion, R-407C still has a calculated 100-year global warming potential of 1774,[4] only slightly lower than calculated value of 1960 for the R-22 refrigerant it replaces.[5] The use of R-407C and other high GWP hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants is being phased out worldwide in accordance with the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. Its use was barred for many applications in the United States on 1 January 2025 with near-complete phaseout planned by 1 January 2028.[6]
Physical properties
[edit]Property | Value | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Formula |
| ||||||
Boiling point (°C) | −43.8 | ||||||
Saturated liquid density (25°C), kg/m3 | 1138 | ||||||
Saturated vapour density (25°C), kg/m3 | 43.8 | ||||||
Critical temperature (°C) | 86.4 | ||||||
Critical pressure, bar | 46.3 | ||||||
Liquid heat capacity @ 25°C, (kJ/(kg·K)) | 1.533 | ||||||
Vapour heat capacity @ 1.013 bar (kJ/(kg·K)) | 1.107 |
References
[edit]- ^ A brief history of refrigerant Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Switch Is On For Refrigerants". Chemical & Engineering News. Retrieved 2025-03-09.
- ^ "Unwrapping The Mystery Of R-407C". www.achrnews.com. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
- ^ US EPA, OAR (2023-09-25). "Technology Transitions GWP Reference Table". www.epa.gov. Retrieved 2025-03-09.
- ^ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), ed. (2023), "The Earth's Energy Budget, Climate Feedbacks and Climate Sensitivity", Climate Change 2021 – The Physical Science Basis: Working Group I Contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 923–1054, ISBN 978-1-009-15788-9, retrieved 2025-03-09
- ^ US EPA, OAR (2023-09-19). "Technology Transitions HFC Restrictions by Sector". www.epa.gov. Retrieved 2025-03-09.