REFRIGERANTS
Although the date for Great Britain to leave the EU was 31 January, it is not anticipated that regulations will alter and certainly not become more lenient. The most recent changes cover the breach of 80 different regulations, encompassing the intentional release of F-Gas, reporting and record keeping and dealing with leaks. However, fines need not be imposed if it is deemed that giving advice would be more beneficial.
Thresholds at which operators must perform checks for gas leaks are clearly set out, from every three months in some cases to annually in others. These intervals can be doubled in cases where a gas leak detection system has been fitted – for example, checks only need to be made on products containing an F-Gas
equivalent of five tonnes of CO2 every two years if a leak detector is fitted.
Prevention is better than cure Given the fact that 60% of gas escapes before an employee notices, relying on staff to spot potentially harmful leaks is extremely dangerous, particularly when the Carbon Trust has recorded an average annual leak rate of up to 20% in UK refrigeration systems. Further regulations, such as the Dangerous
Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) signifies a stronger safety stance from the government and puts more responsibility on to employers to control the risks to safety from fire and explosions. A leak can occur for a number of reasons, from mechanical damage to equipment failure or poor maintenance work. A gas detection system will help ensure that
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leaks are quickly identified and repaired at the first opportunity. This minimises the risk to the health and safety of employees, complies with the requirements of the EU F-Gas Regulations, supports the DSEAR legislation and can save businesses money.
Refrigerant gas leaks are the foremost contributor to energy loss in modern heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) stores. When a leak occurs, an HVAC system or cold store needs to work harder to maintain the equipment’s cooling or heating capacity, using more energy than normal, leading to a potentially large rise in electricity bills. For example, a small but continuous leak, left unrepaired for three months, could use an extra 10kW in electricity – equivalent to approximately £1,400 in energy bills – once the leak becomes critical. With this in mind, some of the leading detection systems on the market have a return-on-investment period of just two years, and that is without taking into consideration the cost of repairs to a system that has been leaking for a prolonged period of time.
Compact yet sophisticated detection systems such as Stonegate’s DL1024, for example, can accommodate up to 24 remote refrigerant sensors, arranged in three zones of eight channels with four relay outputs for signalling an alarm, one for each zone. LED lights indicate the presence and status of each sensor while any sensed leak sends an audio/visual alarm to alert staff immediately. Capable of identifying a range of both toxic
and non-toxic gases, including HFCs, these devices also incorporate a battery back-up system in the case of power failure.
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HVAC systems remain one of the largest energy consumers in many commercial facilities, making them prime targets for improving energy efficiency and reducing operating costs. Even though systems can vary, by concentrating on the most common HVAC energy wasters such as refrigerant gas leaks, temperature control and equipment management, operators can maximise energy savings and ensure energy efficiency. Despite coming a long way since the early days of volatile, toxic and dangerous coolant gases, such as ammonia and methyl chloride, there are still risks present to individuals and the environment. When modern day refrigerants are managed in a controlled environment such as a closed system of tubes and coils, these gases can provide effective climate control, and when coupled with the right safety and monitoring equipment they can operate at their most efficient level.
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