2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene
Encyclopedia
2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene, or HFO-1234yf, is a fluorinated hydrocarbon with the formula C
H
2=CF
CF3. It has been proposed as a replacement for R-134a as a refrigerant in automobile air conditioners.
HFO-1234yf is the first in a new class of refrigerants developed to have almost no environmental impact, acquiring a global warming potential
(GWP) rating 335 times less than that of R-134a and an atmospheric lifetime of about 400 times shorter. It was developed to help automakers meet European regulations that go into effect in 2011 requiring that all new car platforms for sale in Europe use a refrigerant in its AC system with a GWP below 150.
HFO-1234yf, which has a GWP of 4, could be used as a "near drop-in replacement" for R-134a , the current product used in automobile AC systems, which has a GWP of 1430. This means that automakers would not have to make significant modifications in assembly lines or in vehicle system designs to accommodate the product. HFO-1234yf has the lowest switching cost for automakers among the currently proposed alternatives, although the initial cost of the product is much higher than that of R134a. The product could be handled in repair shops in the same way as R-134a, although it would require different, specialized equipment to perform the service. One of the reasons for that is the mild flammability of HFO-1234yf. Another issue affecting the compatibility between HFO-1234yf and R-134a-based systems is the choice of lubricating oil.
Shortly after confirmation from automakers that HFO-1234yf would be adopted as a replacement of R134a automotive air-conditioning refrigerant, Honeywell
and DuPont announced that they will jointly build a manufacturing facility to produce HFO-1234yf. The new plant will be ready to supply commercial quantities of 1234yf sometime in 2011. Although others claim to be able to make and sell 1234yf, Honeywell and DuPont hold most or all of the patents registered for HFO-1234yf.
On July 23, 2010, General Motors
announced that it will introduce HFO-1234yf in 2013 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models in the U.S.
Although the product is classified slightly flammable by ASHRAE, several years of testing by SAE proved that the product could not be ignited under conditions normally experienced by a vehicle. In addition several independent authorities evaluated the safety of the product in vehicles and all concluded that it was as safe to use as R134a, the product in use in cars today. In the atmosphere, HFO-1234yf degrades to trifluoroacetic acid
,which is a mildly phytotoxic strong organic acid with no known degradation mechanism in water.
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
H
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
2=CF
Fluorine
Fluorine is the chemical element with atomic number 9, represented by the symbol F. It is the lightest element of the halogen column of the periodic table and has a single stable isotope, fluorine-19. At standard pressure and temperature, fluorine is a pale yellow gas composed of diatomic...
CF3. It has been proposed as a replacement for R-134a as a refrigerant in automobile air conditioners.
HFO-1234yf is the first in a new class of refrigerants developed to have almost no environmental impact, acquiring a global warming potential
Global warming potential
Global-warming potential is a relative measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere. It compares the amount of heat trapped by a certain mass of the gas in question to the amount of heat trapped by a similar mass of carbon dioxide. A GWP is calculated over a specific time...
(GWP) rating 335 times less than that of R-134a and an atmospheric lifetime of about 400 times shorter. It was developed to help automakers meet European regulations that go into effect in 2011 requiring that all new car platforms for sale in Europe use a refrigerant in its AC system with a GWP below 150.
HFO-1234yf, which has a GWP of 4, could be used as a "near drop-in replacement" for R-134a , the current product used in automobile AC systems, which has a GWP of 1430. This means that automakers would not have to make significant modifications in assembly lines or in vehicle system designs to accommodate the product. HFO-1234yf has the lowest switching cost for automakers among the currently proposed alternatives, although the initial cost of the product is much higher than that of R134a. The product could be handled in repair shops in the same way as R-134a, although it would require different, specialized equipment to perform the service. One of the reasons for that is the mild flammability of HFO-1234yf. Another issue affecting the compatibility between HFO-1234yf and R-134a-based systems is the choice of lubricating oil.
Shortly after confirmation from automakers that HFO-1234yf would be adopted as a replacement of R134a automotive air-conditioning refrigerant, Honeywell
Honeywell
Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
and DuPont announced that they will jointly build a manufacturing facility to produce HFO-1234yf. The new plant will be ready to supply commercial quantities of 1234yf sometime in 2011. Although others claim to be able to make and sell 1234yf, Honeywell and DuPont hold most or all of the patents registered for HFO-1234yf.
On July 23, 2010, General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
announced that it will introduce HFO-1234yf in 2013 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models in the U.S.
Although the product is classified slightly flammable by ASHRAE, several years of testing by SAE proved that the product could not be ignited under conditions normally experienced by a vehicle. In addition several independent authorities evaluated the safety of the product in vehicles and all concluded that it was as safe to use as R134a, the product in use in cars today. In the atmosphere, HFO-1234yf degrades to trifluoroacetic acid
Trifluoroacetic acid
Trifluoroacetic acid is the simplest stable perfluorinated carboxylic acid chemical compound, with the formula CF3CO2H. It is a strong carboxylic acid due to the influence of the electronegative trifluoromethyl group. TFA is almost 100,000-fold more acidic than acetic acid...
,which is a mildly phytotoxic strong organic acid with no known degradation mechanism in water.