INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION
companies need to be making plans now about which refrigerants they should be using in the future and engaging with contractors and equipment suppliers.
Awareness of the legislation is key and especially how the bans and phase down affects their current and future operations. Users of industrial refrigeration should be looking at a transition from the legacy high- GWP refrigerants to new equipment using the lowest possible GWP alternative, but without adversely affecting the performance of their application or, importantly, the energy efficiency of their process.
Alternative industrial refrigerants
Ammonia is being used successfully as a very low-GWP alternative to HFCs in a selection of industrial refrigeration installations. Ammonia is a very efficient refrigerant but its toxicity and flammability restricts its use to a limited number of applications. Plant costs tends to be high when compared to that required for HFC type equipment, in part due to the additional safety measures required for the use of ammonia.
Hydrocarbons can be used in smaller equipment such as plug in freezers and
refrigerators. However, products like R290 are highly flammable, which limits charge sizes and prevents replacement of HFCs in many industrial (and commercial) refrigeration applications.
R744 has been looked at as an alternative to Ammonia in an industrial setting and although this removes the obvious toxicity concern it still entails high capital cost largely due to the very high pressures employed and typically has higher running cost due to poorer energy efficiency that is inherent in CO2 based technology as has clearly been demonstrated in a number of recent studies.
Very low GWP A2L refrigerants are now being adopted more widely as an option where
the above alternatives are not suitable for reasons of toxicity, high flammability, cost or efficiency and indeed should now be considered as a potential first choice.
Benefits of A2L refrigerants
The new A2L refrigerants such as R454A and R454C are becoming increasingly popular in commercial refrigeration applications. It has been shown in real life installations that although they have a mild flammability they can be used safely given necessary engineering design and installation measures are taken. The same approach can be taken on
Industrial applications following guidance in EN378 and using the DSEAR risk assessment protocol.
Calculators for working out charge sizes are now available from manufacturers such as Chemours and guidance on performing risk assessments have been prepared by industry bodies such as FETA. There is training available on handling flammable refrigerants, including the 2L flammable products.
Many contractors working with industrial end users will already be familiar with the 2L flammability class as Ammonia is also mildly flammable.
The pull from end users has meant that most of the major compressor manufacturers now have offerings suitable for use with A2L refrigerants. An increasing number of system OEMs are also offering condensing unit, multi compressor packs and chillers adopting these very low GWP blends. Components and units are now becoming available through the major wholesalers. All replacement technologies which are F-Gas compliant and sustainable incur some increase in cost but equipment designed for these A2L blends are closest to the traditional HFC refrigerants they are replacing.
The first area where the benefits of the very low GWP A2L blends were demonstrated
was in cold stores. There are several case studies available and an increasing number of consultants and design en gineers are working on projects for either smaller cold stores with a single evaporator or larger installations featuring multi condensing units.
The nature of the products like R454A makes them very flexible where a new cold store needs to be installed away from centralised plant or in a new location where ammonia cannot be used.
This is also a benefit for process plant that might need to be added in to increase capacity of an existing system to meet changes in demand on a permanent or temporary basis. Use of the very low GWP A2L refrigerant blends means that the new installation can be fitted quickly and cost effectively while ensuring compliance, safety and excellent energy efficiency.
Planning is key
We need to ensure that engineers and contractors are properly informed, educated and trained. Although the new A2L blends are very straightforward to use, they are new to many installers and service personnel and it important that they all become familiar as such refrigerants are becoming the new industry standards in place of legacy HFCs such as R404A.
Change is always challenging and
particularly at the pace driven by the F-Gas phase-down. It is a daunting fact that within a few years most new equipment installed will need to contain a refrigerant that is either toxic, explosive or flammable to some degree. Users of industrial refrigeration equipment can mitigate the impact by ensuring they have a clear plan for replacement and by asking their equipment suppliers and contractors put systems able to use the very low GWP A2L refrigerants at the top of their list when looking at the options.
PAR
Swegonair
PARASOL Zenith Ready for change
High performance 4-way distribution comfort module with coolin g,
Zenith provides the perfect indoor climate.
SO D O T
LVE N SIE
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