Refrigerants 31
Act now and be ready for R22 phase-out
One of the most important refrigerants used in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry finally hits the buffers at the end of this year. Robert Franklin, national sales manager at Climate Center, examines the preparations that need to be taken.
FROM MIDNIGHT on 31 December 2014, it will become illegal to use reclaimed R22, along with other reclaimed HCFC refrigerants, for servicing equipment. This follows the ban on the use of new (virgin) R22 for servicing equipment, introduced from the beginning of 2010. Because R22 is still used in equipment around the country, the ban on the use of reclaimed refrigerant will have major implications for those still reliant on the gas, as well as contractors responsible for maintaining affected plant.
As a result of the phase-out, from the beginning of next January, reclaimed R22 will no longer be available to purchase from suppliers.
The sectors most exposed are food and drink, healthcare, offices, hospitality, pharmaceuticals and data processing. Here, R22 is still used in refrigeration, blast chillers, cold stores, process coolers and a wide range of air conditioning systems.
While it is permitted to continue using equipment containing the refrigerant beyond the phase-out date, it will be illegal to carry out maintenance or servicing that involves breaking into refrigerant circuits.
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This is to prevent accidental release of HCFCs to the atmosphere.
It is important to note that, if a system is gas-tight and not subject to leaks, there is no obligation to remove the R22. However, if and when service top-up becomes necessary, the refrigerant must be replaced with a non-ozone depleting alternative. If they have not already, contractors should be advising end-user customers affected by the phase-out about the implications for equipment, and the options to deal with the change. Depending on the age and suitability of equipment, it may be worth retrofitting to operate on one of the non-ozone depleting alternatives. A number of these are available and your supplier will be able to advise on suitability.
If equipment is older, retrofitting may be harder to justify on economic grounds. In this case, it may be necessary to consider replacing equipment.
In applications with business-critical cooling requirements, this may be the preferred option in any case, to ensure continuity of service for people, products or industrial processes.
Capital costs of replacement may
be offset by the often significant improvements in energy efficiency that can be achieved by the use of modern equipment. Servicing and maintenance costs are also often lower on new plant. The capacity of long-running plant is sometimes inadequate to fully meet current cooling requirement, due to changes in use over time. Replacement offers the opportunity to increase cooling capacity – to allow for greater output, in the case of industrial process cooling, or improved comfort, in the case of buildings. Due to the lead time on retrofit and replacement projects, it is important that work is planned well in advance. Once the precise nature and scale of the issues on a particular site are understood, an action plan can be drawn up – to include an evaluation of the options and the anticipated costs.
Budgets can then be allocated and work planned in time to beat the deadline. The phase-out of R22 has been a long time coming. However, the clock is now ticking ever more loudly. The date should be in every contractors and end-user’s diary and plans laid now to ensure continuity of cooling.
ACR News April 2014
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