Recent developments for hydrocarbon refrigerants in China

In China, several refrigerant suppliers and refrigeration manufacturers are vigorously pushing hydrocarbon refrigerants forward. While a Chinese refrigerant manufacturer has developed a new hydrocarbon blend R433b, in the Shandong Province a large hydrocarbon refrigerant production base has been created.

R433b: new generation hydrocarbon refrigerant to replace R22

Chinese refrigerant manufacturer Zhong Wei high-tech energy-saving technology Co., Ltd has developed a new hydrocarbon refrigerant R433b, as a blend of the two pure hydrocarbons R290 and R1270 (5±1% C₃H₆ · 95±1% C₃H₈). Its ODP value is 0 and GWP value is 3. Compared with R22, the hydrocarbon refrigeration system can reduce energy consumption by 28%-30% according to the manufacturer.

The refrigerant passed the detection of China national testing center in 2008 and has been tested by Gree in its separate air conditioner KFR-72LW/A (72520L A) A-N5. When filled with R433b, the overall weight of the air conditioner is reduced to 800-850gs compared to 1950gs when filled with R22. In addition, R433b has similar thermal performance to R22, which means it is highly compatible with equipment designed for R22 refrigerant.

Shandong invests RMB 560 million (~€71 million) in hydrocarbon refrigerant production base

In August, the biggest hydrocarbon refrigerant production base of Shandong Province was established. The total investment in the project is RMB 560 million (~€71 million). Shandong Huachao Chemical Co., Ltd. has invested 280 million (~€35 million) in the building of the refrigerant plant. The factory will focus on producing R290 and R600a for cold storage, air conditioning and refrigeration. The annual output of the refrigerant plant is 300,000 tons, the equivalent to RMB 1.5 billion (~ €189 million) output value. The new refrigerant plant will be located in a 300,000 m² area in Linyi County, Shandong Province.

Hydrocarbon refrigeration realises 19.8% energy savings in edible mushroom production

The high running costs of the year-round cultivation of mushrooms have become a burden for many mushroom factories. Conventional HCF- or HCFC-based refrigeration systems usually require large amounts of energy. Recently, new hydrocarbon refrigeration equipment was installed in an edible mushroom research institute in Fujian Province. The system is manufactured by Xiamen Yinuo Lantian Refrigeration Engineering Co., Ltd. According to results from experiments involving two growing cycles of mushroom, the hydrocarbon refrigeration system consumes 19.8% less energy compared to the old HFC-based refrigeration equipment in the institute.