REFRIGERANTS A case for conversion
Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases, typically referred to as F-Gases, are manmade chemicals developed for use as refrigerants in the HVACR industry. They have been widely used as replacement fluids for ozone depleting gases such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) as part of the phased- out programme under the Montreal protocol. Harley Bedford, technical sales engineer, Star Refrigeration looks at converting existing equipment to a lower GWP refrigerant gas.
A
lthough HFCs have no detrimental effect on the ozone layer they
contribute towards global warming if released into the atmosphere. Legislation has been introduced at a national and international level in order to combat the effects of F-Gases on climate change. The European F-Gas Regulation EC 842/2006 was implemented in 2006 and updated in 2014. It was a landmark ruling that provides a clear path for manufacturers, installers, specifiers and operators of refrigeration, air conditioning and heating equipment to phase down use of the most environmentally damaging refrigerants and introduce lower global warming potential (GWP) alternatives. The regulation refers to carbon dioxide equivalent as a measure of how
much a gas contributes to global warming. This uses CO2 with GWP of one as the baseline fluid for comparison.
To calculate the CO2 equivalent of a quantity of a refrigerant, the mass of gas is multiplied its global warming potential (GWP). For example, R404A (the widely used HFC refrigerant) has a GWP of 3922. This means
that 1kg of R404A contributes the equivalent of 3922kg of CO2 if released into the atmosphere. A table of commonly used refrigerants and their associate GWPs can be found in figure A. To mitigate the potential environmental impact of F-Gases, limitations around their use were introduced in the 2006 F-Gas Regulation. An update
40 March 2020
Figure A.
in 2014 added further measures to phase down fluorinated gases with high
GWPs in order to achieve a total reduction in equivalent CO2 of 79% by 01 January 2030. This regulation included a ban on the use of newly manufactured HFCs with a GWP greater than 2500 from 01 January 2020
for servicing refrigeration equipment with a CO2 equivalent charge greater than 40 tonnes.
This may appear to be a large figure but in the case of R404A, it relates to a system charge of just over 10kg. In practice terms it means that when there is a leak of refrigerant with a GWP higher than 2500 from a system, it will need to be replaced by reclaimed/recycled refrigerant of wthe same type or an alternative fluid. Whilst the purchase and use of reclaimed refrigerant is a viable short-
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