GREEN GUIDE PART ONE
chlorine-free refrigerant that was still far more effective than its predecessor. The term ‘greenhouse effect’ was first coined
by John Tyndall in 1824 and it is accepted that without it, we wouldn’t be in a position to discuss it as the Earth’s temperature would be too cold to support life. But in recent years, it’s been associated with global warming and climate change through human activity. As a consequence, the air conditioning and refrigeration industries have been provided with a number of targets and incentives to limit their environmental impact through improved energy efficiency or indirect emissions of CO2
– and reduced refrigerant
leakage or direct emissions of greenhouse gases.
Electronics have continued to assist in
increasing energy efficiency; inverter control is now provided to most fans motors and compressors; seasonal efficiency can be increased by optimising evaporating and condensing pressures based on the load. Running costs have been greatly reduced; the equipment is considerably lighter and quieter. In 2006, F-Gas regulations were introduced with the target of reducing refrigerant emissions. For the first time, a legal obligation was placed on equipment operators to maintain records of the quantity and type of refrigerants used
to ensure that the systems were checked for leakage. Refrigeration technicians were required to be qualified and to maintain records of leakage checks and refrigerant used. The F-Gas regulations have since been updated and the weight of the refrigerant is now factored by its global warming potential (GWP) when calculating both the frequency of leakage checks and more significantly, the quantity of HFC refrigerants that can be placed on the EU market. By 2030, this will be reduced to 20% of the quantity sold in 2015. R410A’s GWP of 2088 is relatively high and disproportionately affected by this regulation. The first significant reduction in its availability occurred in 2018 and resulted in that significant price increase. The F-Gas regulations have also determined that from 2025, R410A won’t be used in new, small single split systems. The introduction of a new mildly flammable safety group (A2L), has allowed R32 (GWP 675) to be reconsidered and many manufacturers have already adopted R32 in their split systems. The resulting performance is more efficient and refrigerant charges are reduced by up to 20%. However, increased consideration to the consequences of leakage must be given.
For larger systems, the re-emergence of water-based systems equipped with modern-day electronic controls is already happening; the refrigerant charge is
greatly reduced and refrigerants that were otherwise unsuited to direct expansion can be considered. An example is CO2
or R744
(GWP 1). It has no safety issues, is cheap and doesn’t even need to be reclaimed. It has already been used in commercial refrigeration and can currently provide up to 40kW through air to water heat pumps some of which are able to provide flow temperatures as high as 90°C. These are high pressure systems, with high pressure switches that typically operate at 150 Bar.
From 2021, a post-Brexit United Kingdom will be able to introduce its own legislation. But while that would have been highly unlikely anyway, life for us has become a series of three-week windows from coronavirus Covid- 19.
The resulting lock down has forced us to
re-think how we work. Meetings that could have involved considerable travel have been replaced by video conferences. Trouble- shooting is often conducted through video calls without the need for a second pair of eyes on site. Daily commutes have been replaced by working more effectively in hastily converted spare bedrooms although many home-workers have been surprised at the size of the resulting electricity bill. The lock down has provided an opportunity to gauge the effects of less human activity. Pollution levels (particularly nitrous oxide) have already fallen dramatically and many have noted that blossom has been particularly spectacular this year and that birdsong has replaced the constant background of traffic noise. However, carbon dioxide levels and air temperatures are yet to see the expected reduction.
This week it was suggested that the largest
hole in the ozone layer has closed. The resulting long-term effects on the retail, entertainment hospitality and travel industries remain to be seen and for those of you that were fed up with hearing about Brexit, remember to be careful what you wish for.
www.acr-news.com
June 2020
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