Evaluation of R449A in field retrofits of R404A supermarket systems.

R-404A has been the global industry standard hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant for commercial refrigeration systems. However, due to the European Union F-Gas HFC phase down and the US EPA proposed SNAP de-listing of R-404A and R-507A, alternatives with lower global warming potential (GWP) are urgently needed. To address this need, R-449A (XP40) has been developed which has 65% lower GWP than R-404A and is nonflammable. It was developed for field retrofit of R-404A/R-507A supermarket and condensing unit systems as well as for new system designs. This paper will present test results of laboratory and field retrofits of supermarket systems from R-404A/R-507A to R-449A. During the retrofits, no hardware, seals or lubricant changes were required. Results will show R-449A is a very close performance match to R-404A/R-507A. Results will also demonstrate potential for energy efficiency improvement. Materials compatibility testing has also been conducted and will show there are a wide range of plastics and elastomers suitable for use with R-449A.