R407A is a Hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant blend that consists of three components: R134A (40%), R125 (40%), and R32 (20%). The refrigerant came into the market as a retrofit replacement for R404A and R22.
Manufacturers recommend it as an R404A replacement because of several reasons. It has a lower global warming potential, has similar cooling capacities as R404A, and offers lower discharge temperatures. Hence, you get an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient refrigerant in this blend.
It’s also a perfect R22 retrofit in low and medium temperature refrigeration systems because it doesn’t have Chlorine, which harms the ozone layer.
Apart from this, R407A is easy to use. In most cases, you don’t have to change the refrigerant oil when retrofitting an R404A or R22 system. However, manufacturers recommend that you use Polyolester oil.
In this article, we’d like to look at this refrigerant’s features, benefits, applications, and cons. So, ensure that you read until the end to learn more about it.
R407A Facts Table
| Name: | R407A |
|---|---|
| Name - Scientific: | Klea 60 |
| Name (2): | Forane 407A |
| Name (3): | Freon 407A |
| Classification: | Hydrofluorocarbon |
| Chemistry: | R-32/125/134a |
| Status: | Active & Growing |
| Future: | Will be phased on 2024 |
| System Type: | Low medium temperature refrigeration |
| Application: | Commercial Refrigerators & Freezers |
| Application (2): | Transport refrigerations |
| Application (3): | Industrial applications |
| Application (4): | Heating applications |
| Replacement For: | R-22 and R-404A |
| Ozone Depletion Potential: | 0 |
| Global Warming Potential: | 2107 |
| Global Warming Risk: | Moderately high |
| Toxicity Levels: | A (No Toxicity Identified.) |
| Flammability Levels: | Class 1 - No Flame Propagation |
| Lubricant Required: | POE |
| Boiling Point: | −°C (-108.4 -45.2 °Cor -38.7 °C (-49.36 °F or -37.66 °F) |
| Critical Temperature: | 81.91 °C or 179.438 °F |
| Critical Pressure: | 4487 kpa (45.2 bar(a)) |
| Temperature Glide: | 6.4 |
| Molar Mass: | 90.1 g·mol−1 |
| Density: | 1145.1 kg/m3 (liquid at saturation −25°C) |
| Vapor Pressure: | 10.93 bar (25 °C) |
| Manufacturers: | Various Including: Honeywell, Chemours, Arkema, Mexichem, Chinese, etc. |
| Manufacturing Facilities: | All Over Including: USA, Mexico, EU, China, and others. |
| Form: | Gas |
| Color: | Uknown |
| EPA Certification Required: | Yes |
| Require Certification to Purchase? | Yes |
| Cylinder Color: | Unknown |
| Purchasing: | Buy R407A in Bulk |
Pressure Temperature Chart (PT Chart)
When diagnosing a refrigeration or air conditioning system, a technician will depend on a PT chart to identify the pressure and temperature relationship of the refrigerant. Of course, every refrigerant in the market is different in terms of how they react in different temperature settings. And so, having this chart in your hands is essential.
What could happen if you don’t have this chart? Generally, the system could fail to work efficiently if you don’t know the values to use. If, let’s say, you charge the refrigerant using a lesser pressure than the recommended level at a particular temperature, you might end up with a system that works hard to cool a space. This leads to increased costs of running your system.
Additional information you can get from a PT chart includes the saturation point, superheat and subcool value. Here’s a detailed pressure-temperature chart for R407A refrigerant.
Applications
Generally, R-407A is a retrofit replacement for most R404A systems you’ll find in the market. R404A is a hydrofluorocarbon. For many years, manufacturers have used it in commercial refrigerators, vending machines, ice machines, and other industrial applications.
The problem with this refrigerant, however, was that it had a global warming potential of 3,922- one of the highest GWP among the list of refrigerants you’ll find in the market. Hence, the United States government decided to phase it out for this reason. Experts recommend R-407A as the most suitable retrofit replacement because both refrigerants have similar properties.
Apart from 404A, the refrigerant is also R22 retrofit in low and medium temperature refrigeration systems. R22 (A HCFC refrigerant) is yet another phased out refrigerant because of its ozone-depleting potential. If you have an old system that uses the refrigerant, you can evacuate it and charge the system with R407A. Just be sure of two things: Before charging the R407A refrigerant, remove the mineral oil, and add POE – the most preferred lubricant for 407A. And secondly, don’t mix the two refrigerants as you risk adding impurities to them and attracting hefty fines from the authorities.
Systems that are compatible with R407A include:
- New designs of residential and commercial air conditioning systems
- Transport refrigeration
- Industrial refrigeration
Pros
From the features above, you can already see some of the benefits this HFC blend carries. A good example is its environmental impact. Compared to the refrigerant it replaces, R407A has a lower greenhouse effect. It also doesn’t affect the ozone layer since it has a zero ODP – one of the reasons why it’s also an R22 replacement. The refrigerant is also non-toxic, and it’s not flammable. Note that while R-32 is flammable, the other two components neutralize it.
Technicians will be more than happy to use this refrigerant because the retrofit process is easy. When replacing R404A, you don’t have to change the lubricant in the system since it’s compatible with POE. Additionally, you can use it with various compressor types, including compressor discharge temperatures.
Besides that, when it comes to performance, R-407A operates at high pressure and has a similar cooling capacity as R-404A.
Other benefits to note:
- Experts note then when you retrofit it into a system that used R-404A previously, you will notice a 10% increase energy efficiency.
- Compared to other replacements, this one has a lower discharge temperature. Hence, you don’t need to carry out any liquid injection.
- It has a moderate temperature glide, which prevents fractionation in high temperatures
Cons
Soon, we might not be able to buy R-407A. Regardless of how energy efficient it is, it’s an HFC refrigerant; on top of that, it has a high global warming potential. Which is pushing governments worldwide to phase it out of the market by the year 2024. By the way, it’s the reason you need an EPA certification to purchase and handle it.
Compared to R-22 drop-in replacements, R-407A requires you to change the lubricant first before charging it into the system. This means more cost and time used when repairing an AC unit fitted with R-22 previously.
Experts also note that most of the R-22 replacements in the market right now don’t perform at the same level, which could reduce system efficiency and increase the cost of running the equipment.
Conclusion
There you have it. We believe that you have all the information you need about R-407A. In our opinion, the refrigerant is an ideal R-404A replacement than it is for R22. Energy efficiency of the machine will increase if you use it in a 404A machine.