REFRIGERANTS
Developing sustainable solutions
The transition to low GWP refrigerants has started but there is a long way to go, says Peter Dinnage of Climalife.
T
he urgency that the F-Gas Regulation quota restrictions created from mid 2017 to mid 2018 may have subsided, but we are only one step on the way to much wider use of lower GWP refrigerants. The market panic that created rapidly rising prices and availability issues on some refrigerants does not have to repeat itself, but action is needed to keep moving to lower GWP refrigerants. The quota restrictions are still in place and a further quota reduction of 30% on current levels will occur in 2021.
The move away from high GWP refrigerants such as R404A may have taken time to get started in 2016 and 2017, but in 2018 the switch occurred quickly and relatively easily with replacements such as R448A and R449A, both with a GWP below 1400 and suitable for new equipment and retrofit.
The next step to go to lower GWP is more challenging as it is at the new equipment level that these changes need to be made. The A2L low GWP refrigerants such R454A, R454C and R455A are able to bring GWPs down much further and with compressors approved for their use by the likes of Emerson and Bitzer, they will start to find
38 March 2019
use in small condensing units very quickly. On new small air conditioning equipment we have seen R32 quickly take over from R410A as the refrigerant of choice, with this move led by the equipment manufacturers who are gradually introducing units with a larger charge size with R32.
For new equipment there may not always be a choice of refrigerant on offer as it will depend on compressors and equipment approvals. Where there are options in deciding whose equipment to use, it is important to consider the life time required for the system and that further phase- down steps every three years to 2030 will place greater pressure on systems with higher GWP refrigerants. There are still some easy moves to lower GWP that can be made for both new and existing equipment where R134a may have previously been used. R513A is a non-flammable azeotropic blend with a GWP of 631, less than half that of R134a and can provide equivalent performance for chillers and medium temperature applications.
For service requirements on all refrigerants, the incentive to reduce and minimise leaks has never been
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