The Chemours Company has announced the development of a low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant retrofit approach for the automotive aftermarket.
Chemours said it will support the global phasedown of higher GWP hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants.
The technical approach developed will provide vehicle owners—and their service technicians—with a simple retrofit procedure to safely and cost effectively replace the legacy R-134a refrigerant in their existing vehicle with the widely-used, low GWP Opteon YF (R-1234yf) refrigerant.
Opteon YF was developed to replace R-134a in new mobile HVAC systems.
President of Thermal & Specialized Solutions at Chemours, Joseph Martinko, said customer satisfaction, safety, and ease-of-use are always top priorities.
“The development of a simple retrofit approach that builds on existing safe service practices and provides a lower GWP refrigerant option, is a prime example of those commitments in action," he said.
"Providing a fully integrable approach with matched performance and lower environmental footprint is a win-win for the automotive industry and society at-large."
As the use of Opteon YF continues to expand in support of global climate targets and regulations, Chemours has continued to partner with industry to support adoption, according to Amber Stephenson, senior director of Technology at Chemours.
"While many countries have transitioned to lower GWP refrigerant technologies, millions of vehicles remain on-the-road using R-134a," Stephenson said.
“Developing a safe, simple, and cost-effective retrofit approach to facilitate the transition to low GWP technology is a critical step forward."
Since its development more than a decade ago, Opteon YF has become the preferred low GWP refrigerant used by global vehicle manufacturers.
Today, R-1234yf is in use in 250 million light-duty vehicles, and by 2025, Chemours expects its Opteon portfolio will eliminate an estimated 325 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.