ENERGY SAVING EQUIPMENT
New regulations and electronic components bring safer ways to save the planet
By Samira Amani, strategic marketing manager automation –Omron Electronic Components Europe
A
s the world takes steps to safeguard the planet from a climate calamity, new hazards demand tighter
regulations in applications such as industrial and consumer refrigeration, vending machines, and heating systems such as heat pumps and hydrogen boilers. In consequence, associated measurement and control devices and the components within them also face new applications and regulations. Domestic and industrial refrigerators, vending machines, and heat pumps like air conditioning units rely on refrigerants. It is well-known that older refrigerants compromise the atmosphere. CFCs are notorious as destroyers of the ozone layer, and subsequent alternatives still have the potential to accelerate global warming – not to mention the further damaging effects on humans and the broader ecosphere. Being more specific, a refrigerant is a working fluid used in the refrigeration cycle of air conditioning systems and heat pumps, where in most cases they undergo a repeated phase transition from a liquid to a gas and back again. Refrigerants are heavily regulated due to their toxicity, flammability, and the contribution of CFC and HCFC refrigerants to ozone depletion and that of HFC refrigerants to climate change. Low-carbon systems are an obvious solution, giving way to new, environmentally friendly, refrigerants. The issue is that refrigerants with low ozone depletion potential (ODP) and the lowest Global Warming Potential (GWP) brings hazards of their own. In fact, some low GWP refrigerants such as R290 (propane) are highly flammable and consequently gas explosion proof design is mandatory. ATEX approved components could be a good solution to simplify the design and meet safety regulations for refrigeration, vending machines and heat pumps.
18 January 2023 •
www.acr-news.com The issue with heat pumps
The world is beginning to phase out its use of fossil gas boilers in favor of heat pumps and alternative fuels. This brings-in new challenges with the need to identify solutions that mitigate the impact of global warming. whilst ensuring safety of heating and cooling plant. Further, our need to reduce reliance of fossil fuels is highlighted by recent volatility of global gas prices. In Europe, the REPowerEU Plan has the further aim of phasing-out our dependency on fossil fuels. Reducing the carbon footprint will protect consumers as well as the atmosphere. These goals are underpinned by three pledges: to accelerate the transition to clean energy, diversify energy resources and reduce consumption overall. To achieve these goals, gas boilers are going to be limited by EU Community policy Repower Plan, with further investments expected on solar and renewable energies. In particular, the European Union should aim at doubling the current deployment rate of individual heat pumps, resulting in a cumulative ten million units over the next five years. Extending these ambitions, REPowerEU ramps-up the schedule to a target of twenty million heat pumps installed by 2026 and close to sixty million by 2030. Following that, the German government has declared a new heating strategy focusing on district solutions with a mandate to make heat pumps mandatory as of January 2025. The Netherlands wants hybrid heat pumps to become standard when existing boilers are replaced and is making heat pumps will become mandatory from 2026. Britain has declared to target 600,000 heat pumps annually by 2028 and will be banning the installation of gas boilers in new-build properties from 2025. France has pledged to end government subsidies for the installation of new residential gas heaters and boost
support for renewable energy heating, whilst Italy’s government has also declared their intention to prohibit residential gas heaters from 2029. If these targets are achieved, fossil fuel use will be greatly reduced but the use of potentially damaging refrigerants will expand greatly as new heat pumps add to the existing demand for them from air conditioning and refrigeration. Clearly, it is essential to transition to low GWP refrigerants, which will entail moving to flammable gas explosion- proof design for all forms of heat pumps and refrigeration.
Standards for safety
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineering standard (ASHRAE) classifies refrigerants by hazard based on toxicity and flammability. Common non-polluting refrigerants such as R290 (propane), R1270 (propene) and R600a (isobutane) present zero ODP and low GWP ratings. However, they are rated to A3 standard – highly flammable. This means that fresh solutions are required for the components used in the design of heat pumps, air conditioning and refrigeration systems.
These considerations are even more applicable in the case of extremely flammable hydrogen boilers. A potentially explosive atmosphere exists when a mixture of air gases, vapours, mists, or dusts combine in a way that can ignite under certain operating conditions. Across Europe the equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres (ATEX) cover a range of products, including those used on fixed offshore platforms, petrochemical plants, mines, and flour mills, amongst others. Explosion-proof relays, switches and similar devices come under the regulations
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