Tetrafluoroethane market prospects are good and the industry scale is still expanding

Tetrafluoroethane, chemical name is 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, and its molecular formula is C2H2F4. It appears as a colorless gas at room temperature and pressure, with a slight ether-like odor. It can be liquefied under pressure, and its appearance after liquefaction It is a colorless and transparent liquid, which can be stored in steel bottles. It is non-toxic, non-flammable, insoluble in water and soluble in ether. Tetrafluoroethane is mainly used as a refrigerant and is a third-generation refrigerant, also known as R134a and HFC-134a.

There are many methods for preparing tetrafluoroethane, and the trichlorethylene method is mainly used in industry. It has the advantages of easy availability of raw materials, simple process flow, and few by-products. The trichlorethylene method also includes three routes: liquid phase method, gas phase-liquid phase method, and gas phase method. Among them, the gas phase method uses trichlorethylene and anhydrous hydrogen fluoride as raw materials and reacts under the action of chromium catalyst. It can be used on a large scale. Continuous production, the reaction process is easy to control, and the waste output is small, so the application ratio is the highest.

According to the “Tetrafluoroethane (R134a) Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report 2021-2025” released by the Industrial Research CenterIt shows that tetrafluoroethane belongs to the third generation hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) refrigerant, its ODP (ozone depletion potential) is zero, and it is environmentally friendly and can replace the first generation chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Second generation hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) refrigerants. The thermodynamic properties and safety of tetrafluoroethane are similar to difluorodichloromethane (R12), so it has become a substitute for R12. It is currently the mainstream medium and low-temperature refrigerant and is widely used in air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers, cold storage and other fields. In addition, tetrafluoroethane can also be used in medicine, pesticides, foaming agents, flame retardants, aerosol propellants, metal protective gases, organic solvents, insulating gases and other fields.

The main tetrafluoroethane manufacturers in my country are: Juhua Co., Ltd., whose main product is the third-generation fluorine refrigerant. The production capacity of tetrafluoroethane (R134a) is 70,000 tons/year, ranking first in the world in terms of scale; Sanmei shares, R134a production capacity is 65,000 tons/year; Yonghe shares, R134a production capacity is 20,000 tons/year, etc. In May 2021, Shandong Xinlong Technology Co., Ltd. is soliciting environmental impact reports for its annual production of 10,000 tons of tetrafluoroethane, 10,000 tons of pentafluoroethane and supporting 50,000 tons of trichlorethylene and 10,000 tons of tetrachlorethylene. Publication of the opinion draft. The scale of my country’s tetrafluoroethane industry is still expanding.

In 2021, the overall refrigerant market has a good development momentum. In August, affected by factors such as insufficient supply of raw materials, low industry operating rates, and U.S. anti-dumping sanctions, the price of pentafluoroethane (R125) increased rapidly. Driven by this, various Refrigerant prices are rising rapidly, with tetrafluoroethane prices rising by more than 30%. Entering November, as supply capacity recovered and market demand slowed, the supply and demand in the refrigerant market stabilized. By mid-term, prices fell, with tetrafluoroethane falling by more than 6%.

Industry analysts said that although tetrafluoroethane will not damage the ozone layer, it still has a high GWP (global warming potential) value), with the increasing environmental protection requirements, it will eventually be replaced. However, for a long period of time, fourth-generation refrigerants will not be able to replace third-generation refrigerants on a large scale, and third-generation refrigerants will still be the mainstream product in the market. Tetrafluoroethane is one of the mainstream products among third-generation refrigerants and there is still good room for development in the next three years.