Efficiency
Hydrocarbons such as R-290 have excellent thermodynamic properties; in this respect, they are as good as (or better than) HFC or HCFC refrigerants in most applications.
F-gas regulations
The European Union has set itself the goal of reducing the environmental impact of fluorinated gases through a series of regulations. The first regulation on F-gases, EC 842/2006, focused on reducing emissions, mainly by preventing leaks in systems and on end-of-life recovery and responsible destruction of gases.
In 2014, the EU published an update to Regulation EC 517/2014. This regulation replaces Regulation 842/2006 and came into force on 1 January 2015. The changes included:
Limitations on the use of higher global warming potential (GWP) gases, such as R-404A, in refrigeration and existing equipment from 2020 onwards.
F-Gas classifies hydrofluorcarbons according to their global warming potential. Therefore, for each application there are different limits and different ban dates. These data are reflected in the following table:
