Member news: Koura offers an alternative refrigerant to R1234yf for mobile air conditioning 

Refrigerant manufacturer Koura is now marketing a refrigerant approved by ASHRAE in 2014 as a substitute for R1234yf in automotive air conditioning.  

 

This alternative allows the manufacturer to align with environmental regulations, and more specifically in the United States, while offering good energy performance.  
  
Indeed, according to Koura, R444A lowers the cabin temperature by around 2°C less than R1234yf, and reaches a temperature of 22°C four minutes faster. Furthermore, the manufacturer claims that this refrigerant is more economical. It produces no TFA upon refrigerant decomposition in the atmospher.
  
In addition, the transition from R1234yf to R444A is direct, requiring no adaptation of the vehicle's air conditioning system.

 

Comparison of the main characteristics of refrigerants commonly used in mobile air conditioning

	R134a	R1234yf	R444a
Composition	CH2FCF	CF3CF=CH2	R-32/152a/1234ze(E) (12.0/5.0/83.0)
GWP 100 years	1470	<1	98
Safety Class	A1	A2L	A2L
Décomposition products (TFA)	20%	100%	0%

 

Sources:

Press release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/orbias-fluorinated-solutions-business-koura-introduces-new-lower-gwp-refrigerant-for-the-automotive-aftermarket-301972544.html

Website of Koura: https://www.kouraglobal.com/koura-r-444a/