hookster
03-06-2017, 09:36 AM
Hi all
R32 has now been launched on us with all the manufacturers singing its praises and hiking the prices of refrigerants to force us to use this refrigerant. (Is it just to get around quota on imports?)
R32 is difluoromethane (methylene fluoride) and it is an HFC type refrigerant. R32 has been used for many years as a component of both R407C and R410A. It is flammable on its own, but not when mixed with the other components of these blends. There is a plethora of blends being launched R448A and Leonardo DiCaprio's favourite, R458A.
Flammability aside - Yes it burns don't believe the bull! Is heavier than air and will pool!
The real danger is to us guys out in the field because at some point you will be carrying out hot works with this refrigerant coming out of the system. As is the case with all fluorinated refrigerants, R32 will decompose and produce toxic byproducts such as hydrogen fluoride and carbon dioxide when burnt.
Hydrogen fluoride is a highly dangerous gas, forming corrosive and penetrating hydrofluoric acid upon contact with moisture. The gas can also cause blindness by rapid destruction of the corneas.
Upon contact with moisture, including tissue, hydrogen fluoride immediately converts to hydrofluoric acid, which is highly corrosive and toxic, and requires immediate medical attention upon exposure. Breathing in hydrogen fluoride at high levels or in combination with skin contact can cause death from an irregular heartbeat or from fluid buildup in the lungs.
For all of us working with refrigerants safety goggles should be a minimum but when brazing with systems charged with R32 and its blends. You should be wearing a disposable mask rated for hydrogen fluoride.
like: 3M 9906 Hydrogen Fluoride Respirators
Time we all got onto our employers to supply the correct safety gear if they want us to work with hazardous chemicals to ensure our safety and that they have an employee available to work for them.
R32 has now been launched on us with all the manufacturers singing its praises and hiking the prices of refrigerants to force us to use this refrigerant. (Is it just to get around quota on imports?)
R32 is difluoromethane (methylene fluoride) and it is an HFC type refrigerant. R32 has been used for many years as a component of both R407C and R410A. It is flammable on its own, but not when mixed with the other components of these blends. There is a plethora of blends being launched R448A and Leonardo DiCaprio's favourite, R458A.
Flammability aside - Yes it burns don't believe the bull! Is heavier than air and will pool!
The real danger is to us guys out in the field because at some point you will be carrying out hot works with this refrigerant coming out of the system. As is the case with all fluorinated refrigerants, R32 will decompose and produce toxic byproducts such as hydrogen fluoride and carbon dioxide when burnt.
Hydrogen fluoride is a highly dangerous gas, forming corrosive and penetrating hydrofluoric acid upon contact with moisture. The gas can also cause blindness by rapid destruction of the corneas.
Upon contact with moisture, including tissue, hydrogen fluoride immediately converts to hydrofluoric acid, which is highly corrosive and toxic, and requires immediate medical attention upon exposure. Breathing in hydrogen fluoride at high levels or in combination with skin contact can cause death from an irregular heartbeat or from fluid buildup in the lungs.
For all of us working with refrigerants safety goggles should be a minimum but when brazing with systems charged with R32 and its blends. You should be wearing a disposable mask rated for hydrogen fluoride.
like: 3M 9906 Hydrogen Fluoride Respirators
Time we all got onto our employers to supply the correct safety gear if they want us to work with hazardous chemicals to ensure our safety and that they have an employee available to work for them.