The new F-GAS 2024/573 standard on greenhouse gases has been in effect for approximately a year.
This standard governs the marketing, use, recovery, and destruction of refrigerants potentially contained in "cold" appliances (coolers, air conditioners).
Do you operate, maintain or plan to acquire a refrigeration unit for your business?
EURODIFROID supports you and gives you some keys to understanding!
Whether you are an installer, integrator, distributor or maintainer of refrigeration appliances, you are indeed concerned, and the year 2025 will see the entry into force of various implementing acts (such as training or documentation of mandatory interventions).
As a reminder, all operators and owners of a refrigeration unit must fulfill certain obligations, such as:
- Labeling the units, indicating the type of gas contained, the charge, etc.;
- Training your teams, knowing that handling refrigerants necessarily requires a certificate of capacity, per gas type;
- Regularly checking the leak-tightness of the circuits (compressor, expansion valve, evaporator, condenser, pressure switches, connections, etc.);
- And finally, managing the recovery of refrigerants by certified operators (internal or external).
Need a quick refresher on the principle of a refrigeration circuit? We'll explain!
The principle of a refrigerant circuit is based on a thermodynamic cycle allowing heat to be transferred from one place to another — typically to cool a space or an object (as in a refrigerator, an air conditioner, or a heat pump).
A refrigerant circuit operates in a closed circuit with a fluid called refrigerant. It passes through 4 main components:
- The compressor: its role is to suck in the fluid in the gaseous state (low pressure / low temperature) and compress it. The fluid then becomes a gas at high pressure and high temperature (a bit like a bicycle pump with the outlet blocked);
- The condenser: the hot fluid passes into the condenser where it releases its heat to the outside (for example, into the air or water). The fluid condenses, changing from gas to liquid (still under high pressure), like an inverted radiator, which evacuates the heat;
- The expansion valve (sometimes also called a pressure reducer): it abruptly reduces the pressure of the liquid fluid. The fluid then becomes a cold liquid/gas mixture, at low pressure and low temperature (like when you unscrew an aerosol can, for example: the liquid becomes cold and expands);
- The evaporator: the cold fluid circulates in the evaporator and absorbs heat from the environment to be cooled (such as the inside of a refrigerator). The fluid evaporates by absorbing the heat: it becomes a low-pressure gas again; this is where the "cold" is produced.
And the cycle begins again! (compress, condense, expand, evaporate… and start again).
Which gases (or refrigerant fluids) are currently authorized?
A vast subject (!), which depends in particular on the type of device, its power or even its intended use.
First thing to know: the GWP (Global Warming Potential) index of each gas. In fact, this index classifies fluids according to their environmental impact (lifespan, warming potential, etc.).
The legislator has therefore established a comprehensive schedule aimed at gradually replacing polluting gases with increasingly "clean" ones.
By convention, the GWP of CO2 is 1, then all other gases are assessed using an index that calculates the ratio of harmfulness to CO2.
Authorized gases are linked to this GWP index: the law thus imposes different ban schedules, depending on the type of appliance or its power.
For example, from 2027:
- Chillers > 12 kW must operate with refrigerants with a GWP < 750 (types R513a, R32, etc.);
- Chillers (chillers, chilled water units, etc.) with a GWP < 12 kW must operate with refrigerants with a GWP < 150 (HFO type: R1234yf, R1234ze, R744, etc.);
- Mobile air conditioners have already been subject to a GWP < 150 gas requirement since 2020;
- Fixed air conditioners from 12 to 50 kW must also operate with refrigerants with a GWP < 150 (HFO type: R1234yf, R1234ze, R744, etc.);
- While for fixed monobloc air conditioners > 12 kW, certain gases with GWP 150 to 750 can still be used until 2031.
As you can see, there are different scenarios, with different "stages" of transition to low-GWP gases.
One thing is certain: the fight against polluting emissions is moving steadily toward HFOs and natural gases.
Attached: a summary table of the main fluids used in refrigeration systems (R134a, R513a, R32, R407c, R410a, R1234yf, R1234ze, etc.), with their type (HFO, HFC, HCFC, etc.), their GWP index, and the most frequently used replacement gases.
> Refrigerant gases GWP
There are three main reasons why you should be interested in new gases:
- By OBLIGATION: not really a choice, because certain gases will be progressively banned and replaced by new ones, involving new authorizations or even reinforced security protocols;
- OPPORTUNITY: The components used to operate circuits with low GWP gases are more recent and often offer new advantages (better communication, energy savings, etc.). This is particularly the case for compressors, expansion valves, and fans, which, in their new generations, natively incorporate electronic functions (speed variation, information reporting, etc.).
And vice versa: if your specifications include a strong economic/ecological/communication need, it is very appropriate for our teams to look directly at “new generation” solutions; - CONVICTION: Many companies today incorporate a strong CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) component, and for various reasons wish to adopt a virtuous approach. The use of low-impact refrigeration equipment, especially on a large scale, is a significant element to promote.
And it turns out that technology using low GWP gases (<1, such as HFOs R1234yf or R1234ze) is now widely available, reliable and economically competitive.
At EURODIFROID, we have been producing devices incorporating these gases and associated components for several years, whether on air conditioners or water or oil coolers.
When designing our cooling units, we combine specific components with the chosen gas, we integrate all the required safety devices and we test the units during our testing phases.
With significant feedback today (both in the factory and in the field), we can assure you: you can count on EURODIFROID to meet the F-Gas standards without any worries, and at the same time benefit from new advantages.
