Tetrafluoroethane (R-134a), as the most widely used medium to low temperature environmentally friendly refrigerant, due to its excellent comprehensive performance, makes it a very effective and safe substitute for CFC-12. It is primarily used in most areas where R-12 (R12, Freon 12, F-12, CFC-12, Freon 12, dichlorodifluoromethane) refrigerant is applied, including: refrigerators, freezers, water dispensers, automotive air conditioning, central air conditioning, dehumidifiers, cold storage, commercial refrigeration, chillers, ice cream machines,冷凍冷凝機組, and other refrigeration equipment. It can also be used as an aerosol propellant, medical aerosol, insecticide propellant, physical blowing agent for polymers (plastics), and protective gas for magnesium alloys.
Although tetrafluoroethane refrigerant (R-134a) is the most common choice for replacing Freon R12 in newly installed refrigeration equipment, due to differences in physicochemical properties, theoretical cycle performance, and compressor oils between R134a and R12, for after-sales maintenance of refrigeration equipment initially charged with R12 refrigerant, if additional refrigerant needs to be added or replaced, only R12 can typically be added. It is generally not possible to directly replace R12 with tetrafluoroethane refrigerant (R-134a) (meaning a complete replacement is usually not feasible).