Some of you may be groaning at the extra steps when compared to R-134a. Well, with all things, there is a reason why these are performed. The fifteen percent precharge and leak detection step is key to catching a leak on your vehicle before it has been fully charged. If we catch the leak early while the charge is still low we can save loss of refrigerant, save your shop some cash on that refrigerant, save the customer money, and also prevent further damage to the environment. It’s a win win for all involved.

By combining the EU’s policy on R-134a and now the United States’ public policy everyone knew that the most logical choice for an alternative was HFO-1234yf. Sure, there were companies like Daimler researching R-744 but this was not a viable alternative at this point in time. Production had to be increased on YF as soon as possible. Earlier this year, 2017, the Chemours company broke ground on a new 1234YF manufacturing plant in Corpus Christi, Texas. This new facility is expected to triple the company’s output of 1234yf. Chemours was just following suit though as the Honeywell corporation actually opened up their new three-hundred million dollar facility in Geismar, Louisiana earlier this year.Ansari, Naushad A.; Yadav, Bipin; Kumar, Jitendra (August 2013). "Theoretical exergy analysis of HFO-1234yf and HFO-1234ze as an alternative replacement of HFC-134a in simple vapour compression refrigeration system". International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research. 4 (8). CiteSeerX 10.1.1.415.9796.

Use the global warming potential to calculate the carbon dioxide equivalent weight of an F gas HFCs is classified by the ASHRAE as a 2L flammable gas. That means that 1234yf is rated as mildly flammable. Depending on who you are this could be a big deal or it couldn’t matter at all. There are two ways to look at this. Your car is already carrying gasoline in it and I can assure you that gas is far more flammable then 1234yf. On the other hand adding more flammable liquids to your car only increases your chance of fire during a collision. Its thermodynamic characteristics make HFO 1234yf very similar to R134a in performance, energetic efficiency and working pressures. There aren’t any specific new types of components required. However, it is critical to ensure that system components are rated for R-1234yf and that the appropriate safety standards are followed. In addition, it is strongly encouraged that users include an internal heat exchanger (IHX). Following this best practice will help to ensure cooling capacity of the evaporator can be met at all desired operating conditions given the slight differences in properties between the two refrigerants. It was in the 1980’s that a team of scientists out of California realized that all of the Chlorine that was in CFC and HCFC refrigerants was causing damage to the Ozone layer. When vented or leaked the refrigerant would drift up and into the atmosphere. It is there where the Chlorine would do it’s damage. Eventually it got so bad that a thinning of the Ozone layer began to form over the Arctic. The scientists noticing this sounded the alarm and the world’s governments took action by creating the Montreal Protocol.

HFO-1234yf has a global warming potential (GWP) of less than 1, [3] [4] compared to 1,430 for R-134a [5] and 1 for carbon dioxide. Following Mercedes' claims that the new refrigerant could be ignited, Germany's Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA, Federal Motor Transport Authority) conducted its own tests. They submitted a report to the European Union in August 2013. The Authority concluded that while R-1234yf was potentially more hazardous than previously used R-134a, it did not comprise a serious danger. Daimler disagreed with this conclusion and argued that the report supported their decision to continue to use older refrigerants. [30] Although R-1234yf is being used globally by a majority of key OEMs in light-duty automotive, the transition to the commercial/off-highway segment has not been widespread across other regions. However, the recent SNAP ruling, in combination with the AIM Act in the U.S., positions R-1234yf as the preferred replacement for R-134a for global manufacturers. Refreshingly cool, potentially toxic". Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich. 2014 . Retrieved 26 July 2018. If your car is manufactured from January 2017 you will have the latest refrigerant in your car. Some cars from 2014 also have the latest gas. If you look under your bonnet as shown in the picture below, there will be a label identifying which type of gas and how many grams of gas your car requires.

DuPont Names Seven New DuPont Fellows". DuPont Media Center (Press release). July 17, 2014. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018 . Retrieved 30 July 2018.It’s already here! While the actual phase out R-134a doesn’t go into effect until the year 2020 many auto manufacturers have already taken the initiative and have begun using 1234yf on their newer model vehicles. This timeline put even more pressure on Honeywell and Chemours. In only a few short years later in 2008 they presented HFO-1234yf to the Society of Automotive Engineers Cooperative Research Program. (SAE CRP1234) The society concluded that 1234yf offered superior environmental performance and that 1234yf was safe to use in automotive applications. After this test came a whole host of other tests from companies, governments, and other organizations all over the globe. Everyone wanted to make sure that this new refrigerant was not only good for the environment but also safe. Remember now folks that the new YF refrigerant went up a flammability level to 2L. Was it safe to use? Most everyone said that yes, it was… but there was one company that disagreed. Daimler Ozone and TFA Impacts in North America from Degradation of 2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234yf), A Potential Greenhouse Gas Replacement Boutonnet, Jean Charles; Bingham, Pauline; Calamari, Davide; Rooij, Christ de; Franklin, James; Kawano, Toshihiko; Libre, Jean-Marie; McCul-Loch, Archie; Malinverno, Giuseppe; Odom, J Martin; Rusch, George M; Smythe, Katie; Sobolev, Igor; Thompson, Roy; Tiedje, James M (1999). "Environmental risk assessment of trifluoroacetic acid". International Journal of Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. 5 (1): 59–124. doi: 10.1080/10807039991289644. If you work with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) or sulphur hexafluoride (SF 6), you may need to:

Ask the expert: How many light duty OEs use HFO-1234yf refrigerant?". Vehicle Service Pros. May 15, 2018 . Retrieved 26 July 2018. Other F gas rules do not apply to these gases. Unsaturated hydro(chloro)fluorocarbons Chemical name climate-damaging pollutants than its predecessor, R134a. If your vehicle requires the new gas, this is a b c Gordon, Jacques (April 12, 2017). "Real world experience with R1234yf: The new refrigerant is finally here; are you ready?". Auto Service Professional . Retrieved 26 July 2018.The thermal performance, non-toxic chemistry and stability are nearly the same between R-1234yf and R-134a. The primary difference between the two is R-1234yf being slightly more flammable. ASHRAE classifies R-1234yf as a “mildly-flammability” fluid (A2L); R-134a carries an A1 safety classification due to its lower flame propagation.