DUPONT has announced significant progress toward the development and commercialization of a new refrigerant for automotive air conditioning that offers a lower global warming potential than hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) R-134a.
The new refrigerant candidate, hydrofluoro-olefin (HFO)-1234yf, is the product of a joint development agreement between DuPont and Honeywell, which have been working with automotive manufacturers and their suppliers to conduct safety, environmental and performance testing.

“DuPont is pleased to report that current data supports the safe use of HFO-1234yf in mobile air conditioning systems globally,” said Cynthia C. Green, vice president and general manager of DuPont Fluoroproducts.

HFO-1234yf has attributes that make it an ideal candidate to replace R-134a used today for automotive air conditioning. It enables the automotive OEMs to meet the 2011 European Union deadline imposed on mobile air conditioning to begin the phase out of HFC technologies.

Although specific plans have not yet been announced pending commercial agreements, DuPont is developing plans for HFO-1234yf production.