AS/NZS ISO 817:2016

ISO 817:2014
AS/NZS ISO 817:2016

Australian/New Zealand Standard™

Refrigerants—Designation and safety

classification
AS/NZS ISO 817:2016
This Joint Australian/New Zealand Standard was prepared by Joint Technical
Committee ME-006, Refrigeration. It was approved on behalf of the Council of
Standards Australia on 7 September 2016 and by the New Zealand Standards
Approval Board on 28 September 2016.
This Standard was published on 19 October 2016.

The following are represented on Committee ME-006:

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturers Association of Australia

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Wholesalers Association
Australian Industry Group
Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating
Australian National Retailers Association
Australian Refrigeration Council
Climate Control Companies Association, New Zealand
Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association
Department of Environment
Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Qld
Environmental Protection Authority, New Zealand
Green Cooling Association
Institute of Refrigeration Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers of New Zealand
Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board, Vic.
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, New Zealand
New Zealand Electrotechnical Committee
Refrigerants Australia
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland
WorkSafe New Zealand
WorkSafe Victoria

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This Standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR AS/NZS ISO 817:2015.
 AS/NZS ISO 817:2016

Australian/New Zealand Standard™

Refrigerants—Designation and safety

classification

Originated in Australia as AS CB3—1933.

Originated in New Zealand as NZS 1653:1962.
Previous and first joint edition AS/NZS 1677.1:1998.
Jointly revised and redesignated as AS/NZS ISO 817:2016.

COPYRIGHT
© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved
© Standards Australia Limited/Standards New Zealand
All rights are reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without the written
permission of the publisher, unless otherwise permitted under the Copyright Act 1968
(Australia) or the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand).
Jointly published by SAI Global Limited under licence from Standards Australia Limited,
GPO Box 476, Sydney, NSW 2001 and by Standards New Zealand, PO Box 1473,
Wellington 6011.

ISBN 978 1 76035 581 4

AS/NZS ISO 817:2016 ii

PREFACE

This Standard was prepared by the Joint Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand Committee
ME-006 Refrigeration, to supersede AS/NZS 1677.1:1998 Refrigerating systems, Part 1: Refrigerant
classification.
The objective of this Standard is to provide an unambiguous system for assigning designations to
refrigerants. It also establishes a system for assigning a safety classification to refrigerants based on
toxicity and flammability data.
This Standard does not address the hazards caused by products of combustion or decomposition of
refrigerants. These products may include (but are not limited to) hydrogen fluoride. Exposure to these
products can be harmful.
Lubricants and associated hazards are also not covered by this Standard. Lubricants can present
significant health and environmental hazards.
This Standard is identical with, and has been reproduced from ISO 817:2014, Refrigerants—
Designation and safety classification. This Standard is to be read in conjunction with the relevant
legislation, regulation and national Refrigeration Industry Codes of Practice.
As this Standard is reproduced from an International Standard, the following applies:
(a) In the source text ‘this International Standard’ should read ‘this Australian/New Zealand
Standard’.
(b) A full point substitutes for a comma when referring to a decimal marker.
None of the normative references in the source document have been adopted as Australian or
Australian/New Zealand Standards.
The terms ‘normative’ and ‘informative’ have been used in this Standard to define the application of
the annex to which they apply. A ‘normative’ annex is an integral part of a Standard, whereas an
‘informative’ annex is only for information and guidance.
 ISO 817:2014(E)

AS/NZS ISO 817:2016 iii

Contents Page

CONTENTS
Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ iv
Introduction v
1 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
2 Normative references ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 Terms, definitions, abbreviated terms and symbols....................................................................................................... 1
3.1 Terms and definitions ....................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3.2 Abbreviated terms ............................................................................................................................................................................... 6
3.3 Symbols ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
4 Numbering of refrigerants ......................................................................................................................................................................... 7
5 Designation prefixes ......................................................................................................................................................................................11
5.1 General prefixes .................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
5.2 Composition-designating prefixes ...................................................................................................................................... 11
6 Safety classifications .....................................................................................................................................................................................12
6.1 General ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 12
6.2 Matrix diagram of safety group classification system ........................................................................................ 14
7 Refrigerant classifications.......................................................................................................................................................................14
8 Refrigerant concentration limit (RCL) ........................................................................................................................................14
8.1 General ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 14
8.2 Data for calculations........................................................................................................................................................................ 17
8.3 Contaminants and impurities.................................................................................................................................................. 18
8.4 Conversion of units — Volumic mass and altitude adjustment ................................................................. 18
Annex A (informative) Examples of isomer designation ..............................................................................................................25
Annex B (normative) Details of testing for flammability and fractionation analysis .....................................27
Annex C (informative) Method of test for burning velocity measurement of flammable gases...........31
Annex D (normative) Calculation of RCL and ATEL for blends ...............................................................................................54
Annex E (informative) Data used to determine safety classification and RCL values and data for
unclassified refrigerants ...........................................................................................................................................................................57
Annex F (normative) Application instructions .......................................................................................................................................65
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 72

© ISO 2014 – All rights reserved iii

AS/NZS ISO 817:2016 iv
ISO 817:2014(E)

Introduction INTRODUCTION

This third edition has been technically revised by the addition of new refrigerant designations and a
safety classification system based on toxicity and flammability data.
The safety classifications in this International Standard do not consider decomposition products or by-
products of combustion. Product and system safety standards (e.g. ISO 5149, IEC 60335-2-24, IEC 60335-
2-34, IEC 60335-2-40 and IEC 60335-2-89) address the prevention of ignition of refrigerant based on the
characteristics provided in this International Standard.

© ISO 2014 – All rights reserved v

AS/NZS ISO 817:2016 1 ISO 817:2014(E)

AUSTRALIAN/NEW ZEALAND STANDARD

Refrigerants — Designation
Refrigerants—Designation and safety
and safety classification
classification

1 Scope
This International Standard provides an unambiguous system for assigning designations to refrigerants.
It also establishes a system for assigning a safety classification to refrigerants based on toxicity and
flammability data, and provides a means of determining the refrigerant concentration limit. Tables
listing the refrigerant designations, safety classifications and the refrigerant concentration limits are
included based on data made available.

2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable to its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34, Designation and Safety Classification of Refrigerants
ASTM E681, Standard Test Method for Concentration Limits of Flammability of Chemicals (Vapours and
Gases)

3 Terms, definitions, abbreviated terms and symbols

3.1 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1.1
acute toxicity
adverse health effect(s) from a single, short-term exposure
3.1.2
acute-toxicity exposure limit
ATEL
maximum recommended refrigerant concentration determined in accordance with the established
systems and intended to reduce the risks of acute toxicity hazards to humans in the event of a refrigerant
release
Note 1 to entry: The systems are specified in this International Standard.

3.1.3
anaesthetic effect
impairment of the ability to perceive pain and other sensory stimulation
3.1.4
approximate lethal concentration
ALC
concentration of a refrigerant that is lethal to even a single test animal but to less than 50 % of the
animals in that group when tested by the same conditions as for an LC50 test
3.1.5
azeotrope
blend composed of two or more refrigerants whose equilibrium vapour and liquid phase compositions
are the same at a specific pressure, but may be different at other conditions

COPYRIGHT 1