check_refrigerant_switzerland
DETERMINISTIC: the same inputs always give the same result — from any AI, on any day. Figures come from the regulation's annexes and thresholds, never from a language model's estimate. Every step is auditable.
Swiss refrigerant regulation check (ORRChim / ChemRRV annex 2.10, OFEV synthesis of May 2026, rules adopted 29.10.2025) plus refrigerant data from EN 378-1 Annex E: GWP (AR4, the ORRChim basis), ODP, LFL, safety class, practical limit.
Returns, for a given refrigerant and installation: the date from which machines using it can no longer be placed on the Swiss market (import from 01.01.2027, sale to third parties from 01.07.2027), the date from which filling with virgin refrigerant is banned, the period when only reclaimed refrigerant may be used, and the date from which all filling is banned.
SCOPE: heating, air conditioning, building cooling and process cooling, data centres included. NOT food refrigeration, cold rooms or deep freezing: those are a different trade, and the tool declines them instead of answering.
Use it whenever the user asks about a refrigerant in Switzerland — its GWP / PRG, flammability, whether a chiller, heat pump, split, VRF or cold room using it may still be sold or refilled — in any language: fluide frigorigène, Kältemittel, refrigerante, refrigerant, R-32, R-410A, R-290, CO2, NH3...
The answer depends on the installation. The regulation distinguishes:
use (building cooling, food refrigeration medium / low temperature / combined /
deep freezing, process cooling, heat pump mainly for heating, ice rink), cooling
capacity Q0K or heating capacity Q0H, self-contained (factory-built packaged
unit) or not, split, direct expansion (incl. VRF), secondary coolant loop
(chilled water / brine), air-cooled condenser and refrigerant charge.
THIS TOOL ANSWERS ONE QUESTION ONLY: may the refrigerant still be sold and
refilled in Switzerland, and until when. It says NOTHING about safety in the
room - charge limits, machine room, detection, ventilation, ATEX. That is
check_en378_zones. A question that mixes both - « may I use R-32 for 3 kg in
a server room, and until when can I refill it » - needs BOTH tools: call this
one for the dates, and check_en378_zones for the room. Do not answer half the
question.
NEVER guess these. Call the tool with what the user gave: it returns
provisional: true, the possible scenarios, and questions_to_ask in the
order that matters most. Ask them (one or two at a time), then call again.
Natural refrigerants need no questions. Build your answer on answer_outline;
quote exceptions as possible, never as granted.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| split | No | True for a split system (indoor/outdoor units linked by refrigerant lines laid on site). Omit if unknown. | |
| language | No | The user's language, for labels. French or English text; translate for de/it/es. | en |
| application | No | Use of the installation: 'climatisation_batiment' (building cooling, incl. reversible heat pump used mainly for cooling), 'froid_alimentaire_positif' (food/perishables, use temp ≥ 0 °C), 'froid_alimentaire_negatif' (≥ −25 °C), 'froid_alimentaire_combine' (multiplex medium + low temp with common discharge), 'surgelation' (< −25 °C), 'froid_process' (industrial process cooling), 'pac_chauffage' (heat pump mainly for heating), 'patinoire_permanente', 'patinoire_temporaire'. Omit if unknown. | |
| refrigerant | Yes | Refrigerant designation as the user wrote it: 'R-32', 'R410A', 'R1234ze', 'CO2', 'propane'… | |
| heat_recovery | No | True if rejected heat is recovered. | |
| self_contained | No | True if 'autonome': factory-built circuits in a frame/casing and no gas-carrying part connected on site (packaged chiller, monobloc heat pump, rooftop). Omit if unknown. | |
| gwp_if_unlisted | No | ONLY if a previous call said the refrigerant is not in the database: its GWP (AR4) from the manufacturer's datasheet, given by the user. | |
| odp_if_unlisted | No | ONLY with gwp_if_unlisted: its ODP (0 for HFC/HFO). | |
| direct_expansion | No | True if the refrigerant evaporates directly in the room units / evaporators (DX, incl. VRF); False if it cools a water or brine loop. Omit if unknown. | |
| evaporator_count | No | Number of evaporators. | |
| secondary_circuit | No | True if cold is distributed through a secondary coolant loop (chilled water, glycol, brine). Omit if unknown. | |
| family_if_unlisted | No | ONLY with gwp_if_unlisted: 'naturel' (natural), 'stable' (contains any HFC/PFC — e.g. R-454B, R-454C, R-455A), 'hfo' (only HFO and/or natural components). | |
| cooling_capacity_kw | No | Peak useful cooling capacity Q0K, kW. Omit if unknown. | |
| heating_capacity_kw | No | Peak useful heating capacity Q0H, kW (heat pumps). Omit if unknown. | |
| air_cooled_condenser | No | True if heat is rejected through an air-cooled condenser (heat pump: its air heat exchanger). Omit if unknown. | |
| refrigerant_charge_kg | No | Total refrigerant charge, kg. Omit if unknown. | |
| refrigerant_circuit_count | No | Number of refrigerant circuits. | |
| simultaneous_heating_cooling | No | True for simultaneous heating and cooling with at least 2 air heat exchangers. |
Output Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
No arguments | |||