R449A

R449A was developed by Chemours as a lower GWP alternative to R404A, also referred to under its trade name Opteon^TM XP40.

R404A has been prominently used in supermarket and commercial refrigeration applications.

Due to the high Global Warming Potential of R404A (GWP 3,922) we can no longer continue to use R404A.

R449A has a significantly lower GWP (1,397) than R404A and has been classified by Ashrae as A1 non-flammable and is suitable for new as well as retrofitting existing R404A systems.

R449A is a 4-component blend consisting of R32, R125, R134a and the HFO R1234yf. Applications for R449A include low to medium temperature commercial direct expansion refrigeration such as supermarkets, convenience stores, cold stores, display cases as well as coolers, freezers and self-contained condensing units and has been developed for new as well as existing equipment.

With very similar properties to R404A Chemours reported a 2-3% energy consumption reduction in low temperature and an 8-11% drop in medium temperature when compared with R404A as well as having increased capacity.

So how does R449A compare with the competitive product R448A?

According to Chemours if you look at Table 1 and 2, the cooling capacity and energy efficiency of both products are very similar, but Table 3 shows Opteon™ XP40 has a more favourable compressor discharge temperature, smaller temperature glide, slightly lower condensing pressure, and a slightly improved pressure ratio compared to R-448A.