With HFC refrigerants secure for the foreseeable future, it is still interesting to take a look from time to time at phase down talk and how the industry may adjust should that become a reality.

A hot topic in the world of refrigeration and air conditioning continues to swirl around refrigerants and what refrigerants will take hold and be used now, besides HFCs, and what will supplant HFCs in the future.

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about natural refrigerants such as CO2 and hydrocarbons gaining a stronger foothold. Yet much of the talk is related to the possible phasedown of HFC production. And currently, while there may be some talk about a possible phasedown, no actual action seems to be taking place.

My column in the Nov. 12 issue of The NEWS focused on HFCs, especially low GWP HFCs as retrofits for R-22 systems. This column will focus on what I used to call “beyond HFC” refrigerants, although these days, the term might be “other than HFC” refrigerants.

Now, more than ever, the industry has been looking for alternatives to R-22 to keep the huge existing base of R-22 equipment up and running. More reclamation has been one option. But at the same time, attention is being paid to a large number of HFC refrigerants that can be retrofitted into R-22 equipment.

Because no one HFC refrigerant can be retrofitted efficiently into the entire range of R-22 equipment, a wide and sometimes changing variety of HFCs have entered the market. The NEWS contacted a number of refrigerant manufacturers asking them to discuss some of their most popular HFCs for R-22 retrofits.

Two recent projects demonstrated successful retrofitting of HFC refrigerants into existing HCFC-22 systems. These projects, which were highlighted by Arkema, detail the processes with regard to HFC-427A in refrigeration and air conditioning applications.

The attention that’s being paid to HFC refrigerants used as retrofits in HCFC-22 systems is among the more positive developments in the industry. Refrigerant manufacturers are working with contractors and end users in doing such retrofits in real-world situations.

It’s important for readers within the refrigeration industry to be aware of what’s being talked about in Europe, especially from a regulatory standpoint. There is talk of a phaseout of virgin HFC refrigerant production rather than a phasedown.

The European Commission (EC), the executive body of the 25 member countries of the European Union (EU) responsible for proposing legislation, is continuing its efforts to phase down — and in some applications phase out — use of HFC refrigerants in much of Europe.