COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Medium temperature commercial refrigeration equipment designed to use hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant R-410A performed better in a life cycle climate performance (LCCP) analysis than equipment designed for propane, a flammable hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerant with special safety requirements, according to a study by the Center for Environmental Energy Engineering (CEEE) at the University of Maryland.
The study showed that a system using R-410A achieved lower environmental impact during the entire life cycle of the fluid and the equipment, including power consumption, than a system using R-290 (propane). The LCCP analysis of R-410A was 4.2 percent lower than propane.