Information taken from Tim McRae’s, account technical manager of thermal and specialized solutions at Chemours Canada, Refrigeration Technical Training Day presentation on “A Deep Dive into Refrigerant Innovations, A2L Compliance and What it Means for Canada,” on June 26.
Changes are coming to the refrigeration industry, specifically concerning the adoption of lower global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants. Canada and the U.S. have accelerated the adoption of A2L refrigerants, and new standards and regulations are being released to further help the adoption.
In a non-logical way and defying physics, whatever happens in the U.S. will trickle North toward Canada about refrigeration regulations. Before we get into specific regulations, it’s important to distinguish between Canadian and American regulations. In Canada, we refer to them as the Canadian Ozone Depleting Substances Regulations (ODSHAR). In the U.S., it is called the American Innovation Manufacturing Act (AIM Act).
Canada has already started on this path towards low GWP refrigerants, thanks to the Montreal Protocol, which introduced the phaseouts of CFC and HCFCs like R-22, and the Kigali Amendment, which saw the phasedown of HFCs such as R-410A. This started in 2016, and the U.S. had similar regulations, but due to various reasons, they were abandoned until 2023.
During that period, new innovations and refrigerants came along and were approved, which meant the U.S. regulations leapfrogged Canada’s.
Canadian regulations
ODSHAR contains two parts — the phasedown of HCFCs and the specific prohibitions for new equipment. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has begun reviewing the process of these regulations in an attempt to prevent the same fate as the U.S. regulations mentioned above.
The Kigali Amendment introduced regulations concerning the cap and reduction of HCFCs. This is determined by multiplying the GWP refrigerant by how many kilograms are imported. From there, a cap is determined, followed by a reduction.
Canada is already at the 60 per cent reduction, thanks largely to the automotive industry moving to the R-1234YF refrigerant (GWP of four) and foams moving to lower GWP solutions (less than 150 GWP). The heating and cooling sector has also transitioned to lower GWP non-flammable A1 refrigerants like R-448 and R-449.
Canada has been relatively successful in the HFC consumption phasedown, as seen in Graph 1.
Looking ahead, Canada will be well above the cap in 2029. As time moves on, there needs to be an introduction of even lower GWP solutions, particularly with new equipment.
Southern counterpart
It is worth noting that the new equipment regulations in the U.S. have values similar to those of Canada. As stated in their regulations, the U.S. can no longer manufacture equipment with a GWP greater than 700 in the air conditioning sector. America already has equipment coming down the pipeline to meet these demands — rooftop units, ducted split units, and mini-split units will come to market in 2028, 2026, and 2026, respectively.
However, since there are sell-throughs allowed for existing equipment, manufacturers have begun converting to low GWP refrigerants to replace existing refrigerants, primarily R-410A. This includes manufacturers in Canada, the U.S., and around the world. The U.S. has GWP limits on systems such as commercial condensing units both over and under 200 pounds and chillers. For over 200, it is a GWP of 150, for under 200 it is 300, and for chillers its 700.
Understanding A2Ls
Turning our heads towards A2Ls, the first thing of importance is to understand that this refrigerant class is only to be used in new equipment, not retrofits. Currently, you cannot retrofit a R-410A system to a R-32, R-454A or R-454B class.
The next thing to remember is that the various governing bodies will classify A2Ls differently, which you can see in Graph 3.
Cylinders will also be classified differently. For example, an A2L cylinder will have a red top, and small A2L cylinders will have left-handed threads.
When it comes to ASHRAE Standard 34, it is important to remember the difference between the flammability classifications between A2L and A3 propane. The difference is between the lower flammable limit of how much concentration would form a combustible mixture and the energy or heat of combustion. A test called ASTM E68 is used to determine flammability.
With the U.S. and Canada having specific GWP limits for upcoming products and there will need to be new solutions, as shown in Figure A.
Firstly, in that chart, Opteon is the brand name Chemours adopted for lower GWP refrigerants. From that chart, it is clear that going forward, in the transition to lower GWPs in new equipment, R-454A, R-454B, and R-454C will be common solutions in the air conditioning and refrigeration sectors.
It is worth noting that condensing unit manufacturers are considering A2L because of the refrigeration capacities and the design similarities to R-404A systems.
For less than 700 GWP, R-454B will be the primary replacement for R-410A in air conditioning equipment because it has properties similar to R-410A. For less than 150 GWP, R-454C will be an option. This transition is common because R-454C has a similar capacity to R-22.
Within the industry, 12 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including Carrier, York, and Trane, publicly announced the transition to R-454B, while five, including Fujitsu and Daikin, announced the transition to R-32. Only time will tell which one will become the more common choice, but the reality is that both R-454B and R-32 will be valuable alternatives.