R-236ea
Pure HFC, 1,1,1,2,3,3-hexafluoropropane (CF₃CHFCHF₂). ASHRAE A1 non-flammable. GWP 1370. Normal boiling +43°F — high for an HFC, suitable for high-temperature heat pump and organic Rankine cycle applications. Limited commercial availability; specialty refrigerant only.
Lower toxicity (Occupational Exposure Limit ≥ 400 ppm). No flame propagation in air at standard atmospheric pressure and 60°C. R-134a, R-22, R-410A, R-404A, R-744 (CO2) are A1.
- Flammability
- None (no flame propagation)
- Toxicity
- Lower (OEL ≥ 400 ppm)
Classification per ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34-2022. See full reference.
Saturation pressure-temperature curve
Saturation values from CoolProp 7.2.0 R236EA. Operating pressure on a running system differs — see the operating-pressure references for in-use values.
R-236ea PT chart PDF — printable saturation table
Looking for the R-236ea PT chart PDF for shop reference? The complete pressure-temperature saturation table is below — every 1° increment from −40°F to 150°F (or to the refrigerant's critical temperature). Use the Print / Save as PDF button in the table header to download a clean, table-only PDF (the rest of the page is hidden from the print output). Important service temperatures (normal boiling point, freezing point of water, residential AC evap and condenser targets) are tinted and tagged in the table for at-a-glance shop reference.
R-236ea PT Chart — Pressure-Temperature Saturation Table
1° increments · Source: CoolProp 7.2.0 / manufacturer datasheet · hvacptcharts.com
| Temp (°F) | Pressure (PSIG) |
|---|---|
| -22°F | -12.1 |
| -21°F | -12.1 |
| -20°F | -12.0 |
| -19°F | -11.9 |
| -18°F | -11.8 |
| -17°F | -11.7 |
| -16°F | -11.6 |
| -15°F | -11.5 |
| -14°F | -11.4 |
| -13°F | -11.3 |
| -12°F | -11.2 |
| -11°F | -11.1 |
| -10°F | -11.0 |
| -9°F | -10.9 |
| -8°F | -10.8 |
| -7°F | -10.7 |
| -6°F | -10.5 |
| -5°F | -10.4 |
| -4°F | -10.3 |
| -3°F | -10.2 |
| -2°F | -10.0 |
| -1°F | -9.9 |
| 0°F | -9.8 |
| 1°F | -9.6 |
| 2°F | -9.5 |
| 3°F | -9.3 |
| 4°F | -9.2 |
| 5°F | -9.0 |
| 6°F | -8.8 |
| 7°F | -8.7 |
| 8°F | -8.5 |
| 9°F | -8.4 |
| 10°F | -8.2 |
| 11°F | -8.0 |
| 12°F | -7.8 |
| 13°F | -7.7 |
| 14°F | -7.5 |
| 15°F | -7.3 |
| 16°F | -7.1 |
| 17°F | -6.9 |
| 18°F | -6.7 |
| 19°F | -6.5 |
| 20°F | -6.3 |
| 21°F | -6.0 |
| 22°F | -5.8 |
| 23°F | -5.6 |
| 24°F | -5.4 |
| 25°F | -5.1 |
| 26°F | -4.9 |
| 27°F | -4.6 |
| 28°F | -4.4 |
| 29°F | -4.1 |
| 30°F | -3.9 |
| 31°F | -3.6 |
| 32°FH₂O freeze | -3.4 |
| 33°F | -3.1 |
| 34°F | -2.8 |
| 35°F | -2.5 |
| 36°F | -2.2 |
| 37°F | -1.9 |
| 38°F | -1.6 |
| 39°F | -1.3 |
| 40°F | -1.0 |
| 41°F | -0.7 |
| 42°F | -0.4 |
| 43°F | -0.0 |
| 44°FNBP (atmospheric) | 0.3 |
| 45°F | 0.6 |
| 46°F | 1.0 |
| 47°F | 1.3 |
| 48°F | 1.7 |
| 49°F | 2.1 |
| 50°F | 2.4 |
| 51°F | 2.8 |
| 52°F | 3.2 |
| 53°F | 3.6 |
| 54°F | 4.0 |
| 55°F | 4.4 |
| 56°F | 4.8 |
| 57°F | 5.2 |
| 58°F | 5.7 |
| 59°F | 6.1 |
| 60°F | 6.5 |
| 61°F | 7.0 |
| 62°F | 7.4 |
| 63°F | 7.9 |
| 64°F | 8.3 |
| 65°F | 8.8 |
| 66°F | 9.3 |
| 67°F | 9.8 |
| 68°F | 10.3 |
| 69°F | 10.8 |
| 70°F | 11.3 |
| 71°F | 11.9 |
| 72°F | 12.4 |
| 73°F | 12.9 |
| 74°F | 13.5 |
| 75°F | 14.0 |
| 76°F | 14.6 |
| 77°F | 15.2 |
| 78°F | 15.8 |
| 79°F | 16.4 |
| 80°F | 16.9 |
| 81°F | 17.6 |
| 82°F | 18.2 |
| 83°F | 18.8 |
| 84°F | 19.4 |
| 85°F | 20.1 |
| 86°F | 20.7 |
| 87°F | 21.4 |
| 88°F | 22.1 |
| 89°F | 22.8 |
| 90°F | 23.5 |
| 91°F | 24.2 |
| 92°F | 24.9 |
| 93°F | 25.6 |
| 94°F | 26.3 |
| 95°F | 27.1 |
| 96°F | 27.8 |
| 97°F | 28.6 |
| 98°F | 29.4 |
| 99°F | 30.1 |
| 100°F | 30.9 |
| 101°F | 31.8 |
| 102°F | 32.6 |
| 103°F | 33.4 |
| 104°F | 34.2 |
| 105°F | 35.1 |
| 106°F | 36.0 |
| 107°F | 36.8 |
| 108°F | 37.7 |
| 109°F | 38.6 |
| 110°F | 39.5 |
| 111°F | 40.4 |
| 112°F | 41.4 |
| 113°F | 42.3 |
| 114°F | 43.3 |
| 115°F | 44.2 |
| 116°F | 45.2 |
| 117°F | 46.2 |
| 118°F | 47.2 |
| 119°F | 48.2 |
| 120°F | 49.3 |
| 121°F | 50.3 |
| 122°F | 51.4 |
| 123°F | 52.4 |
| 124°F | 53.5 |
| 125°F | 54.6 |
| 126°F | 55.7 |
| 127°F | 56.9 |
| 128°F | 58.0 |
| 129°F | 59.1 |
| 130°F | 60.3 |
| 131°F | 61.5 |
| 132°F | 62.7 |
| 133°F | 63.9 |
| 134°F | 65.1 |
| 135°F | 66.3 |
| 136°F | 67.6 |
| 137°F | 68.8 |
| 138°F | 70.1 |
| 139°F | 71.4 |
| 140°F | 72.7 |
| 141°F | 74.0 |
| 142°F | 75.4 |
| 143°F | 76.7 |
| 144°F | 78.1 |
| 145°F | 79.5 |
| 146°F | 80.9 |
| 147°F | 82.3 |
| 148°F | 83.7 |
| 149°F | 85.2 |
| 150°F | 86.6 |
| Temp (°C) | Pressure (kPa) |
|---|---|
| -30°C | -84 |
| -29°C | -83 |
| -28°C | -82 |
| -27°C | -80 |
| -26°C | -79 |
| -25°C | -78 |
| -24°C | -77 |
| -23°C | -75 |
| -22°C | -74 |
| -21°C | -72 |
| -20°C | -71 |
| -19°C | -69 |
| -18°C | -68 |
| -17°C | -66 |
| -16°C | -64 |
| -15°C | -62 |
| -14°C | -60 |
| -13°C | -58 |
| -12°C | -56 |
| -11°C | -54 |
| -10°C | -51 |
| -9°C | -49 |
| -8°C | -47 |
| -7°C | -44 |
| -6°C | -41 |
| -5°C | -39 |
| -4°C | -36 |
| -3°C | -33 |
| -2°C | -30 |
| -1°C | -26 |
| 0°CH₂O freeze | -23 |
| 1°C | -20 |
| 2°C | -16 |
| 3°C | -12 |
| 4°C | -9 |
| 5°C | -5 |
| 6°C | -1 |
| 7°CNBP (atmospheric) | 3 |
| 8°C | 8 |
| 9°C | 12 |
| 10°C | 17 |
| 11°C | 22 |
| 12°C | 26 |
| 13°C | 31 |
| 14°C | 37 |
| 15°C | 42 |
| 16°C | 47 |
| 17°C | 53 |
| 18°C | 59 |
| 19°C | 65 |
| 20°C | 71 |
| 21°C | 77 |
| 22°C | 84 |
| 23°C | 91 |
| 24°C | 98 |
| 25°C | 105 |
| 26°C | 112 |
| 27°C | 119 |
| 28°C | 127 |
| 29°C | 135 |
| 30°C | 143 |
| 31°C | 151 |
| 32°C | 160 |
| 33°C | 169 |
| 34°C | 178 |
| 35°C | 187 |
| 36°C | 196 |
| 37°C | 206 |
| 38°C | 216 |
| 39°C | 226 |
| 40°C | 236 |
| 41°C | 247 |
| 42°C | 258 |
| 43°C | 269 |
| 44°C | 280 |
| 45°C | 292 |
| 46°C | 304 |
| 47°C | 316 |
| 48°C | 328 |
| 49°C | 341 |
| 50°C | 354 |
| 51°C | 368 |
| 52°C | 381 |
| 53°C | 395 |
| 54°C | 409 |
| 55°C | 424 |
| 56°C | 439 |
| 57°C | 454 |
| 58°C | 469 |
| 59°C | 485 |
| 60°C | 501 |
| 61°C | 518 |
| 62°C | 535 |
| 63°C | 552 |
| 64°C | 569 |
| 65°C | 587 |
Full saturation values at 1° increments — toggle between °F / PSIG and °C / kPa. Use Print / Save as PDF for laminated shop reference, or download the CSV / JSON below for use in other tools. R-236ea PT chart data: CoolProp 7.2.0 (REFPROP-compatible Helmholtz EOS) or manufacturer datasheet, validated against AHRI Standard 700-2019.
At a glance
Chemistry
Lubricant compatibility
Specialty HFC used in organic Rankine cycle and high-temperature heat pump applications. Limited commercial availability.
Common applications
- Organic Rankine cycle (waste heat recovery)
- High-temperature heat pump research
Properties
- Boiling point (1 atm)6.2°C / 43.1°F
- Critical point282.7°F at 481 PSIG
- Molar mass152.04 g/mol
- Temperature glideNegligible (0.00°F)
- ODP0
- GWP (AR5, 100-yr)1370
- GWP (AR6, 100-yr)1500
- Atmospheric lifetime11 years
What is R-236ea?
R-236ea is the "ea" isomer of 1,1,1,2,3,3-hexafluoropropane — a six-fluorine HFC with the specific fluorination pattern CF₃-CHF-CHF₂. The closely-related isomer R-236fa (1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane, CF₃-CH₂-CF₃) has the same chemical formula but different fluorine arrangement, leading to very different properties — most notably R-236fa has GWP 9,810 while R-236ea has GWP 1,370. The geometric arrangement matters enormously for atmospheric behavior.
Commercial use of R-236ea is concentrated in specialty applications: organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems for waste-heat recovery, high-temperature heat pump research, and some specialty refrigeration where the relatively high boiling point (+43°F) and chemical stability are useful. Production volumes are modest.
Where R-236ea is used
- Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) working fluid for waste-heat recovery applications
- High-temperature heat pump research and pre-commercial systems
- Specialty refrigeration in industrial process applications
- Not used in conventional HVAC or commercial refrigeration
Regulatory & phase-down status
R-236ea's GWP of 1,370 places it within EPA AIM Act phase-down scope for HFCs. Production volumes are small, so the practical impact of AIM Act schedules is limited — R-236ea is too specialty-niche for major commercial restriction at current production levels.
For applications where R-236ea is currently used, R-1336mzz(Z) (HFO, GWP 2) is the modern low-GWP substitute for ORC and high-temperature heat pumps. The transition is gradual as new equipment specifies R-1336mzz(Z) and existing R-236ea equipment ages out.
Service notes
POE oil is the standard lubricant. Mineral oil is not used. A1 safety classification simplifies service. R-236ea has the relatively high boiling point (+43°F) — the refrigerant may be liquid at indoor ambient temperatures, which affects handling (e.g., transferring from cylinders may require modest heating to develop vapor pressure for charging).
EPA Section 608 covers R-236ea. Service work on R-236ea systems is rare; most field technicians will not encounter it.
Operating cycle
Phase-down timeline
No phase-down milestones documented for R-236ea in this build. This may mean: (a) no regulatory phase-down currently published; (b) the refrigerant has local regulatory schedules not yet transcribed into the site dataset; or (c) it is a specialty refrigerant outside the main regulatory frameworks. For authoritative current status, consult the EPA AIM Act allocations (40 CFR Part 84), EU F-Gas Regulation 517/2014 + 2024/573, and the relevant national implementations of the Kigali Amendment.
Global warming potential, in context
No peer-comparison group is defined for R-236ea. Its 100-year GWP per IPCC AR5 is 1370 — above the EPA AIM Act 700 GWP cap.
Peer-comparison groups are defined for refrigerants that compete in the same application sector (residential AC, commercial MT/LT, chillers, mobile AC). Specialty or research-grade refrigerants without a clear peer set don't appear in any group; their GWP is shown above in absolute terms instead.
Frequently asked
›What's the difference between R-236ea and R-236fa?
Same chemical formula (C₃H₂F₆) but different isomer arrangements of the six fluorines around the three-carbon backbone. R-236ea is 1,1,1,2,3,3-hexafluoropropane (CF₃CHFCHF₂); R-236fa is 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane (CF₃CH₂CF₃). The "ea" isomer has fluorines distributed across all three carbons; the "fa" isomer has fluorines concentrated on the terminal carbons with a -CH₂- group in the middle. This structural difference produces very different atmospheric lifetimes (R-236ea ~11 years vs R-236fa ~242 years) and correspondingly different GWPs (R-236ea 1,370 vs R-236fa 9,810). The -CH₂- group in R-236fa is unreactive in atmospheric chemistry — fluorines on adjacent carbons make the C-H bonds inert to OH-radical attack.
›What's an organic Rankine cycle?
A power-generation thermodynamic cycle using an organic working fluid (refrigerant-class molecule) instead of water. Waste heat at moderate temperature (100-300°C) vaporizes the working fluid, the vapor expands through a turbine to generate electrical power, condenses to liquid, and pumps back to the boiler to repeat. ORC enables electricity generation from heat sources too cool for steam (industrial waste heat, geothermal, biomass, solar thermal). Working-fluid selection depends on heat-source temperature; R-236ea fits the medium-temperature range where some other ORC fluids (R-245fa, R-1234ze(Z)) compete.
›What is the GWP of R-236ea?
1,370 per IPCC AR5. Moderate by HFC standards — comparable to R-134a's 1,430 and below R-125's 3,500. The 11-year atmospheric lifetime is short for an HFC, contributing to the moderate GWP.
›Is R-236ea readily available?
Commercial availability is limited. Production volumes are small relative to mainstream HFCs. Procurement is generally through specialty chemical suppliers rather than HVAC refrigerant distributors. For new applications, R-1336mzz(Z) (Chemours Opteon 1100) or R-245fa (Honeywell Genetron 245fa, more widely available) are typically chosen over R-236ea for ORC and heat-pump applications.
›Can R-236ea be substituted with R-1336mzz(Z)?
In some ORC and heat-pump applications, yes. R-1336mzz(Z) has higher boiling point (+92°F vs R-236ea's +43°F) and lower vapor pressure, so the substitution requires equipment evaluation — at the same condensing temperature R-1336mzz(Z) will produce different pressures. New ORC and high-temperature heat pump installations increasingly specify R-1336mzz(Z) for its very-low GWP (2 vs R-236ea's 1,370).