Fluorinated refrigerants
For the operation of some of our household appliances – our fridges, freezers, air conditioners and heat pump tumble dryers – manufacturers use a special substance called refrigerant.
A refrigerant is a substance that can transport heat from a low-temperature place to a high-temperature place.
Who has not heard that this refrigerant in old refrigerators was Freon! Yes, indeed, for a long time, until the mid-90s, manufacturers used Freon. Freons, however, turned out to damage the ozone layer, so their use was banned.
What happened after the Freons? Today, what refrigerants are contained in our household appliances? What should we know about these special substances?
The study by APPLiA Hungary Society provides answers to these questions, among others. Learn about the history of refrigerants: past, present and future.
See details in the 2017 study “Putting on scales refrigerants”, downloadable at the bottom of this page.
2021-22: The industry faces more changes
Regulation 517/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council (F-Gas Regulation) is currently facing a new amendment. The aim now is to make our equipment work with more environmentally friendly refrigerants. Is it possible to use R290 (propane) in the future? In fact, this refrigerant is very environmentally friendly, as its GWP (global warming potential) is below the designed limit of 150. But, as we could have already learned from the Putting on scales refrigerants study, if we want to lighten the environmental protection balance pan, we need to move the “component removed” to the safety and/or economic efficiency pan. Unfortunately, we have to say that using R290 today is not a realistic alternative for a number of reasons.
If you also wish to know the details, click here to read APPLiA’s position. You can find related technical material in English here and here.
Mérlegen a hűtőközegek tanulmány letölthető itt.
This page corresponds to the fulfilment of the obligation to provide information provided for in subparagraphs a) – c) of Article 7 of Government Decree No. 197/2014 (VIII.1.) on waste management activities related to electrical and electronic equipment.
