Installation And Servicing Heat Pump Using R32; About R32 Refrigerant; Characteristics Of R32 Refrigerant - Panasonic WH-UD05JE5 Service Manual

13. Installation and Servicing Heat Pump using R32

13.1 About R32 Refrigerant

For heat pump refrigerants such as R410A, the refrigerants were collected back in order to prevent their air
dissipation, to curbe the global warming impact, in case they were released into the atmosphere. In the "4th
Environmental Basic Plan", 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is required, and due to this
requirement, further reduction in the emission of high greenhouse effect gas, such as CFCs, is required. Therefore,
the conversion of heat pump refrigerant into the ones who has smaller greenhouse effect, even if it is dissipated into
the atmosphere, became our responsibility.
Nevertheless, in case of heat pump refrigerant, it would be the best if there is a refrigerant which has smaller impact
on global warming, but ensures good energy efficiency and performance, and is safe; however, there is no such
refrigerant which satisfies all these conditions. As a result, we have been considering the practical usage, within the
safety frame-work, of R32 refrigerant which has short lifetime in the atmosphere, and has smaller effect of global
warming, but is slightly flammable.
In 2004, due to the revision of heat pump safety standards by the International Electro-safety Commission (IEC), the
safety standards of heat pump using slightly flammable refrigerant was issued. In 2010, the regulations of American
Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers in the United States (ANSI/ASHRAE34) was issued
adopting the grades for refrigerants which are difficult to inflame due to their slow burning rates, and as a result have
smaller damages in cases of fire. The burning rate of R32 is lower by 10cm / per second, and safety standardization
for various usage is now being processed.

13.2 Characteristics of R32 Refrigerant

1. Chemical Characteristics
R32 is one of the refrigerants used in R410A, has almost no toxicity, and chemically stable compound formed by
hydrogen, carbon and fluorine.
R32 has short lifetime of 4 to 9 years in case of being released into the atmosphere; therefore, it has smaller
greenhouse gas effect but has slight inflammability because of the large proportion of hydrogen.
Chemical Characteristic Table of R32, R410A and R22.
Chemical Formula
Composition
(mixture ratio wt.%)
Boiling Point (°C)
Pressure (physical) *1
Capacity (physical) *2
COP (physical) *3
Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP)
Global Warming Potential
(GWP) *4
Inflammability *5
Toxicity
*1：Physical property of temperature condition 50°C
*2：Relative value of temperature condition 0/50°C, providing R22=100
*3：Te/Tc/SC/SH=5/50/3/0°C
*4：GWP=Global Warming Potential, each figure is based on "4
*5：Based on ANSI / ASHRAE std. 34-2010
R32
CH2F2
Single Composition
-51.7
3.14
160
95
0
675
Slightly Inflammable
(A2L)
None
111
R410A
CH2F2 / CHF2CF3
R32 / R125A
(50 / 50 wt.%)
-51.5
3.07
141
91
0
2090
Non-inflammable (A1)
None
th
IPCC4 Report"
R22
CHCLF2
Single Composition
-40.8
1.94
100
100
0.055
1810
Non-inflammable (A1)
None