Arkema, the world’s second leading producer of fluorochemicals, anticipates regulatory trends and meets the needs of the market by expanding its product range with Forane 427A. The R-427A designation has been registered and granted officially by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) to the blend marketed by Arkema, known up to now by its development name Forane FX100.

Attracted by the product’s retrofit simplicity and inherent qualities, the Casino Group chose Forane 427A to replace R-22 in the central positive refrigeration plant of its hypermarket Géant Casino de Gap (France / Hautes-Alpes). The plant required no modification during the substitution, except for replacing the original oil by a POE (PolyOlEster) oil. The anticipated level of technical performance was soon reached, reveals the company’s press release.

An HFC (HydroFluoroCarbon)-only refrigerant fluid, Forane 427A can be used in a wide range of air-conditioning and refrigeration applications. It allows optimum operating conditions to be achieved, close to those obtained with R-22, without the need to thoroughly rinse the circuit. Additionally, apart from a nil ODP(Ozone Depletion Potential), Forane 427A features one of the lowest GWP(Global Warming Potential) indices among refrigerant fluids available for the retrofit of equipment running on R-22.