German researchers say the r1234yf air conditioning refrigerant backed by a plethora of political and scientific bodies, has the potential to unleash a gas structurally related to phosgene, which was used in World War 1 as a nerve agent, in the event of a fire.
Mercedes has long insisted r1234yf was a possible fire hazard in certain circumstances, but adds it “took notice” of studies by the University of Munich that revealed carbonyl fluoride is also released when a vehicle is in flames, although manufacturer, Honeywell, vigorously disputes “misleading reports.”
Go deeper with GlobalData
The University says carbonyl fluoride is structurally related to phosgene, the chemical gas used as a weapon in the First World War and is urging r1234yf be reassessed.
“It has been known for some time now combustion of r1234yf results in production of the toxic hydrogen fluoride,” said the University’s Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, Andreas Kornath.
“Our analysis has now shown that 20% of the gases produced by combustion of the compound consist of the even more poisonous chemical carbonyl fluoride.”
Information from the University of Munich notes carbonyl fluoride is structurally related to phosgene, which contains chlorine in place of fluorine and which was used as a chemical weapon during the First World War, a point noted by Mercedes.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalData“The Professor did extensive research on r1234yf and found it is not just hydrofluoric acid,” said the Mercedes spokesman. “There is another gas – a gas from World War 1 that was used as a nerve gas. That is widely discussed in Germany – the gas is carbonyl fluoride.”
The addition of carbonyl fluoride to the debate is just one more twist in the coolant saga that has pitted Mercedes full square against an array of powerful bodies including the European Commission and the French government, although the German automaker received a huge fillip this week with the former ban on deliveries using r134a overturned by France’s highest Court, the Conseil d’Etat.
The French Ecology Ministry, under whose auspices the Transport portfolio falls, had banned Mercedes from selling its A, B, CLA and SL models last year, which did not use the lower-polluting r1234yf coolant.
Honeywell has come back fighting however, in defence of its r1234yf refrigerant, noting to just-auto in a statement: “Contrary to the misleading and clearly biased assertions of the report’s authors, carbonyl fluoride (COF2) is in fact a well-known breakdown product of HFO-1234yf that has been publicly studied by leading experts in the automotive industry.
“It was studied in the 2007-2009 Cooperative Research Program (CRP) conducted by SAE International, the world’s leading automotive engineering organisation. The SAE CRP reviewed the COF2 data, included it in its risk assessment, and concluded HFO-1234yf is safe for use in automotive air conditioning.
“In March, the EU’s Joint Research Centre also reviewed this data and again concluded that HFO-1234yf is safe for use in automobile air conditioning.”
Honeywell says COF2 is also formed during the burning of “the current automotive refrigerant HFC-134a, used in hundreds of millions of vehicles worldwide today.”
It added when COF2 does form in such conditions, it only lasts for a fraction of a second, which is not long enough to put bystanders, passengers, or first responders in any danger.
