Can I keep using R-134a or R-410A?

Name: Eco-friendly chillers
Brand: FRIMONT

The Kigali Amendment does not ban them: it reduces the amount of HFCs each South American country can import or produce, 10% less from 2029 and 30% less from 2035, and some countries add their own restrictions. Since a chiller runs for many years, a new unit should use a low-GWP refrigerant.

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Chillers and liquid chillers

Eco-friendly chillers

Chillers with low-GWP refrigerants, designed to current environmental regulations or the refrigerant your company specifies.

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Technical documentation

FRIMONT FLA chiller with eight condenser fans — FLA chiller, designed for the chosen refrigerant.

Applications

What it solves.

The Montreal Protocol, through the Kigali Amendment, phases down HFCs with high global warming potential (GWP) step by step. We design each eco-friendly chiller with the refrigerant that meets the country's regulations, your company's environmental policy or the GWP limit you set, and we adapt the unit to its safety class.

New units that must meet a GWP limit or a corporate environmental policy.
Plants replacing chillers that run on R-22, R-404A, R-410A or R-134a.
Projects for multinationals and exporters with emission-reduction targets.

Food and beverage

Configurations

A configuration tailored to your application.

Technical selection defines the equipment and its integration with the process.

Natural refrigerants

Ammonia, CO₂ and hydrocarbons: zero or near-zero GWP and outside the Kigali phase-down. Each one calls for a design suited to its safety class: toxicity for ammonia, pressure for CO₂ and flammability for hydrocarbons. We cover them in detail under Green chillers.

HFOs and low-GWP blends

R-1234ze(E), R-513A, R-515B, R-454B, R-454C and R-455A, among others. They replace traditional HFCs with fewer changes to the unit; some are mildly flammable (class A2L) and need suitable components and ventilation.

Designed to the regulation or your specification

We start from the GWP limit or refrigerant required by regulation or by your company, and select compressors, heat exchangers, valves and control panel for that fluid. If the refrigerant changes, we review the safety of the installation site.

Technical data

Reference values.

Refrigerants in the eco-friendly line

100-year global warming potential (GWP) and ASHRAE 34 safety class.

Refrigerant	Type	ASHRAE 34 class	GWP	Typical use
R-717 · Ammonia	Natural	B2L	0	Industrial chillers, medium and low temperature
R-744 · CO₂	Natural	A1	1	Low temperature, cascade and heat recovery
R-290 · Propane	Natural (hydrocarbon)	A3	3	Compact chillers with reduced charge, outdoors
R-1270 · Propylene	Natural (hydrocarbon)	A3	2	Compact chillers, medium and low temperature
R-1234ze(E)	HFO	A2L	1	Chilled water and medium temperature
R-454C	HFO/HFC blend	A2L	146	R-404A replacement, medium and low temperature
R-455A	HFO/HFC/CO₂ blend	A2L	146	R-404A replacement, medium and low temperature
R-515B	HFO/HFC blend	A1	287	R-134a replacement, non-flammable
R-454B	HFO/HFC blend	A2L	465	R-410A replacement
R-513A	HFO/HFC blend	A1	630	R-134a replacement, non-flammable
R-32	HFC	A2L	675	R-410A replacement

For comparison, R-134a has a GWP of 1,430, R-410A 2,088 and R-404A 3,922. Source: Technology Transitions GWP Reference Table of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), updated April 2026, rounded; for HFCs they match IPCC AR4. Ammonia: GWP 0, the value the industry uses; the EPA assigns it 1. Classes: A = lower toxicity, B = higher toxicity; 1 = no flame propagation, 2L = lower flammability, 3 = higher flammability.

HFC phase-down schedule (Kigali Amendment)

Article 5 Group 1 schedule, followed by Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. Reduction of HFC consumption against the baseline (HFC consumption 2020–2022 plus 65% of the HCFC baseline).

Year	Reduction
2024	Consumption freeze
2029	10%
2035	30%
2040	50%
2045	80%

Each country applies the schedule through its own regulations and the HFC import licensing the amendment requires. In the European Union, Regulation (EU) 2024/573 bans from 2027 chillers above 12 kW with fluorinated gases of GWP 750 or more, unless required to meet safety requirements.

Selection

How we define the solution for your process.

We start from what you need to achieve and your facility conditions. We guide you through defining requirements and selecting an appropriate configuration. You do not need to have all this data to start the conversation.

What we evaluate during technical definition

Regulations and environmental policy: Country of installation, required GWP limit and the environmental targets of your company or your customers.
Site safety: Refrigerant safety class, charge, unit location, ventilation and leak detection.
Availability and service: The refrigerant must be available locally, with technicians and spare parts to service it over the unit's whole life.

Documentation

Technical documentation.

Request technical documentation for the configuration required by your process. Tell us about your application and operating conditions to guide the inquiry.

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Engineering and integration

Scope is defined with you.

From equipment selection to integration, installation, and commissioning, we agree on what the project needs and how it connects to your facility. Control systems and after-sales service are integral parts of that conversation.

What we can undertake