International. In a study published by the Vehicle Air Conditioning Society (MACS), some Chinese vehicles are shipped to South America with a different type of refrigerant gas than most technicians are used to seeing. In this case, it is a mixing refrigerant called R-415B.
Sightings of vehicles with this coolant were first reported to MACS in early 2017 by members of Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.
Marketed in Uruguay as the "Gloria", this 7-passenger unibody minivan is manufactured by Dongfeng Xiaokang Automobile Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of DFM (Dongfeng Motor Corporation) in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The vehicle's information label shows that it features the 109-horsepower, 1.5-liter, 4-cylinder Chongqing Xiaokang engine.
R-415B is an HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon) zeotropic refrigerant, consisting of 25% R-22 and 75% R-152a. It is a class II SDG (ozone-depleting substance) with an ODP (ozone depletion potential) of 0.013, and as such is controlled by the Montreal Protocol.
It also has a GWP (global warming potential) of 550, meaning it is 550 times more "a global warming gas" than CO2 (carbon dioxide).
Steve Schaeber, technical editor of MACS says that "So far we don't know much about the system, and we haven't been able to connect a refrigerant identifier to verify the composition of the refrigerant. We also don't know the exact type of compressor oil they're using, which is a big question among local technicians. They also want to know if any other vehicles or brands are using R-415B coolant, but to date we haven't heard of any others. We have also been asked if the R-22 component will attack hoses and seals, but without knowing the specific suppliers and components involved, we simply don't know who these questions should be asked of."
Schaeber further says there are too many variables at play:
What kind of hoses are being used?
How are they built?
What is the type of oil?
How does it interact with the refrigerant?
What material was used to make the stamps?
Who manufactured the compressor?
The study found that the service port connectors are of the same type as those used for the R-134a, and without the proper service equipment (and a supplier for the gas), the R-134a is likely to be used as a replacement when needed.
The author recommends technicians to be careful when servicing these systems, as the R-152a component is flammable.
Source: MACS.
