R404A refrigerant - an outgoing refrigerant

R404A refrigerant is commonly used in low and medium temperature refrigeration applications. It has long replaced refrigerants R502 and R22, which are used in commercial refrigeration equipment.

Due to its high GWP value, however, it will be replaced with refrigerants with a lower GWP, such as 448A, 449A and 455A, depending on the system and purpose of use.

R404A refrigerant mixture consisting of the following

  • R125 (44%), GWP = 3500
  • R143a (52%), GWP = 4470
  • R134a (4%), GWP = 1430

Applications and use

As of the beginning of 2020, new R404A plants will be prohibited. The construction of fixed refrigeration units that use a refrigerant with a GWP of > 2500 will no longer be permitted. (EU F-gas Regulation, No 517/2014).

Recycled R404: use for maintenance purposes will be permitted until the end of 2030. According to the Director of the Finnish Refrigeration Enterprises Association (FREA) Mika Kapanen, there are more than 2600 retail outlets in Finland that use R404. “There is no cause for panic. Plants can remain in operation until the end of their service lives, and substitutive refrigerants will surely be found,” Kapanen says reassuringly.

Mandatory and regular leak inspections for R404A charges came into effect at the beginning of 2016 > 1.3 kg (inspection interval according to charge size), source: VTT, Kylmäainepäivät 2016 materials.

Commercial and industrial refrigeration equipment

R404A has also been used in the freezers and refrigerated display cabinets in grocery shops and in some ice stadiums.

Replacement refrigerants for R404A

The replacement or alternative refrigerants for R404A include the following, for example:

  • natural refrigerants, such as ammonia NH3 and carbon dioxide CO2, GWP = 0
  • new replacement refrigerants, such as R1234yf and R1234ze, GWP < 10

Refrigerant R404A price

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Want to know more!

Read this Oxford Academic -article: Comparative energy and exergy analysis of R744, R404A and R290 refrigeration cycles

Article abstract: “A detailed energy and exergy analysis of the low global warming potential refrigerants R744 and R290 was preformed and compared against the commercial refrigerant R404A in a single-stage vapour compression cycle and R744 in a two-stage vapour compression cycle with an internal heat exchanger.”