The green NGO ¨Deutsche Umwelthilfe¨ (DUH) urged American carmakers to respect their plight to develop greener cars by choosing CO2 for their air conditioning systems, after presenting an English version of its investigation of 1234yf’s flammability in Sacramento, USA. UPDATE: the English version flammability video is now available on R744.com + link to the original DUH press release.
As American carmakers await a much-needed bailout from the US Government, on the condition that they develop greener cars, the NGO DUH highlighted in Sacramento, California, the hazards related to 1234yf, as a result of its own independent investigation of the substance. After presenting an English version of a video documentary summarizing its findings, the organization urged carmakers worldwide to choose the natural refrigerant CO2 instead. DUH referred to manufacturers such as Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen/ Porsche, who have decided against 1234yf due to its risks in case of accident
1234yf research
DUH insisted that the new chemical refrigerant is flammable and releases highly toxic gases while burning. The NGO also referred to the official data fact sheet for 1234yf, where chemical giant Honeywell admits that the chemical is “extremely flammable” in the gas phase, requiring special safety precautions in the case of burning, such as protective clothing and gas masks at all time. Moreover, the data sheet also contains the clear warning “Evacuate area”. The same Honeywell safety data sheet confirms diverse “hazardous decomposition products”, including hydrogen fluoride. This, in contact with water, decomposes into hydrofluoric acid, a highly toxic acid already at low concentrations.
Moreover, the Deutsche Umwelthilfe pointed out that the patents for the currently used refrigerant R134a will expire soon. As a result, ¨it can be manufactured at a small fraction of the costs of the new-patented chemical cocktail 1234yf. Especially in Asia, it is therefore highly likely that the climate killer R134a will be used as a refill for 1234yf worldwide, even if the first charge was made with 1234yf¨, the press release by DUH reads.
Financial crisis and greener cars
The Green NGO revealed that, while bidding for credits worth over 12 billion US$ - to develop environmentally friendly vehicles, ¨GM withdrew major orders for CO2 components used in automotive air conditioners, and now seems to have opted for the chemical 1234yf, clearly due to cost reasons¨, according to its press release. “It seems that GM’s promise to only manufacture green cars in the future was only meant to convince Washington to fork out billions of financial help.” said Jürgen Resch, head of DUH.
¨The crisis in the automobile industry must be seen as a unique opportunity to bring about a change. Vehicle air conditioning systems of all future car models worldwide must be equipped with natural refrigerants that lead to the least environmental burden, carry no risks for car occupants, and will comply with any future legislation”, concluded Resch.
The video
The following video in English (total length: 8:26 min), available on the DUH website, is showing the performed tests. The relevant testing part starts from 3:30 min. Please note: initital loading of the video might take a few moments.
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the English version of the flammability video is now available on R744.com. You'll find it below the last paragraph of the news article. Just click and wait some moments for it to load completely.
Thanks for this observation, this is indeed an interesting requirement, and a similar provision for the 1234yf SNAP approval could pose a further barrier.
However substantial worldwide experience in the use of hydrocarbon natural refrigerants has established they can be safely used as a very efficient and environmentally benign solution to replacing HFC134a or CFC-12 in existing MVAC systems. In spite of being flammable within a 2-10% concentration, fires are not known to occur, and it is high time the safety record of hydrocarbons was better documented and recognised by regulators, manufacturers and the service industry.
One of the most responsible things the USEPA under the Obama Administration could immediately do to reduce greenhouse emissions would be to give SNAP approval for hydrocarbons, but I'm not optimistic this will occur without substantial domestic pressure from US climate advocates.
Meanwhile, it would seem the fluorolobby are feeling the heat and are on the offensive, a google news alert on "1234yf" turned this up overnight.
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Honeywell's Low-Global-Warming-Potential Refrigerant Endorsed by SAE International Cooperative Research Project
MORRIS TOWNSHIP, New Jersey, December 8 /PRNewswire/ --
- SAE's International Cooperative Research Program finds new refrigerant offers 'superior environmental performance'
Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announced today that the SAE International Cooperative Research Program has endorsed Honeywell's low-global-warming-potential refrigerant for use in mobile air conditioning (MAC) to meet new, more stringent regulations in Europe.
The SAE program team said refrigerant HFO-1234yf "offers superior environmental performance" and that "this alternative refrigerant -- of all proposed alternatives -- has been judged to have the lowest risk for use in mobile air conditioning systems in meeting environmental and consumer needs."
The SAE's research program was launched in 2007 as a response to the European Union's MAC directive, which requires that all new vehicles produced starting in 2011 use a refrigerant with a global warming potential below 150. Current global mobile air conditioning systems use HFC-134a, a refrigerant with a GWP of 1,430. HFO-1234yf has a GWP of only four.
The SAE program's extensive testing showed that HFO-1234yf is a "highly energy-efficient refrigerant, meaning autos with HFO-1234yf use less fuel and have fewer (greenhouse gas) emissions than those that use alternatives." The program found that while CO2, another proposed alternative, has a global warming potential of 1, it "is less efficient than 1234yf, resulting in greater indirect emissions."
[continues...]
2008-12-08 21:47:10 - Anonymous
Given this article's focus on flammability, it might be interesting to note the US EPA's recent (see FR 6/12/08) SNAP list approval (with conditions) of R152a for new Motor Vehicle Air Conditioner (MVAC) end use given its stated MSDS flammability ratings (HMIS=4 and US DOT= 2.1).
One of the end use conditions in the final EPA rule is that "systems must be designed to avoid occupant exposure to concentrations of R152a above 3.7% in the passenger cabin free space for more than 15 seconds, even in the event of a leak", to protect against flammable conditions.
It will be interesting to see how Motor Vehicle manufacturers react to this end use condition of R152a.
As American carmakers await a much-needed bailout from the US Government, on the condition that they develop greener cars, the NGO DUH highlighted in Sacramento, California, the hazards related to 1234yf, as a result of its own independent investigation of the substance. After presenting an English version of a video documentary summarizing its findings, the organization urged carmakers worldwide to choose the natural refrigerant CO2 instead. DUH referred to manufacturers such as Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen/ Porsche, who have decided against 1234yf due to its risks in case of accident 
