RP-1774 -- Effects of System Materials Towards The Breakdown of Lubricants And Low GWP Refrigerants ✓ Most Recent

As the HVAC&R industry transitions to lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants, many research and development programs have been focused on hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs), which have been evaluated as alternative refrigerants to hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFC). The thermal stability of HFOs has been reported along with their compatibility with lubricants, metals, plastics and elastomers (Minor and Spatz 2008,Koban 2011, Rohatgi 2012, Majurin et al. 2014); however, there is limited published data on the compatibility of process chemicals with the HFO/lubricant systems, although there have been in-depth studies on the compatibility of process chemicals with the HFC/Polyolester (POE) systems (Cavestri and Schooley 1996; Rohatgi 2003, Rohatgi, Clark and Hurst 2013).

In this research project, twenty-five of the chemicals previously used for compatibility study with R-134a/POE were used for compatibility study with HFO/POE. These chemicals shown in Table 1 are currently in useor being considered for use with the HFO refrigerant systems.