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12 Installation and Servicing Air Conditioner Using R410A
12.1. Outline
12.1.1. About R410A Refrigerant
1. Converting air conditioners to R410A
Since it was declared in1974 that chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) and other substances pose a
destructive danger to the ozone layer in the earth’s upper stratosphere (20 to 40 km above the earth), measures have been
taken around the world to prevent this destruction.
The R22 refrigerant which has conventionally been used in ACs is an HCFC refrigerant and, therefore, possesses this ozone-
destroying potential. International regulations (the Montreal Protocol on Ozone-Damaging Substances) and the domestic laws
of various countries call for the early substitution of R22 by a refrigerant which will not harm the ozone layer.
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• •
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In ACs, the HFC refrigerant which has become the mainstream alternative is called R410A. Compared with R22, the
pressure of R410A is approximately 1.6 times as high at the same refrigerant temperature, but the energy efficiency is about
the same. Consisting of hydrogen (H), fluorine (F) and carbon (C), R410A is an HFC refrigerant. Another typical HFC
refrigerant is R407C. While the energy efficiency of R407C is somewhat inferior to that of R410A, it offers the advantage
of having pressure characteristics which are about the same as those of R22, and is used mainly in packaged ACs.
2. The characteristics of HFC (R410A) refrigerants
a. Chemical characteristics
The chemical characteristics of R410A are similar to those of R22 in that both are chemically stable, non-flammable
refrigerants with low toxicity.
However, just like R22, the specific gravity of R410A gas is heavier than that of air. Because of this, it can cause an oxygen
deficiency if it leaks into a closed room since it collects in the lower area of the room. It also generates toxic gas when it is
directly exposed to a flame, so it must be used in a well ventilated environment where it will not collect.
Table 1 Physical comparison of R410A and R22
R410A R22
Composition (wt%) R32/R125 (50/50) R22 (100)
Boiling point (°C) -51.4 -40.8
Vaporizing pressure (25°C) 1.56 Mpa (15.9 kgf/cm
2
) 0.94 Mpa (9.6 kgf/cm
2
)
Saturated vapor density 64.0 kg/m
3
44.4 kg/m
3
Flammability Non-flammable Non-flammable
Ozone-destroying point (ODP) 0 0.055
Global-warming point (GWP) 1730 1700
b. Compositional change (pseudo-azeotropic characteristics)
R410A is a pseudo-azeotropic mixture comprising the two components R32 and R125. Multi-component refrigerants with
these chemical characteristics exhibit little compositional change even from phase changes due to vaporization (or
condensation), which means that there is little change in the circulating refrigerant composition even when the refrigerant
leaks from the gaseous section of the piping.
Accordingly, R410A can be handled in almost the same manner as the single-component refrigerant R22. However, when
charging, because there is a slight change in composition between the gas phase and the liquid phase inside a cylinder or
other container, charging should basically begin with the liquid side.
c. Pressure characteristics
As seen in Table 2, the gas pressure of R410A is approximately 1.6 times as high as that of R22 at the same refrigerant
temperature, which means that special R410A tools and materials with high-pressure specifications must be used for all
refrigerant piping work and servicing.
Table 2 Comparison of R410A and R22 saturated vapor density
Unit: MPa
Refrigerant Temperature (°C) R410A R22
-20 0.30 0.14
0 0.70 0.40
20 1.35 0.81
40 2.32 1.43
60 3.73 2.33
65 4.15 2.60
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