COMPRESSORS


Major milestones that had an impact on the use of natural refrigerants around the world:


1989


The Montreal Protocol entered into force, with a


plan to gradually ban Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). These fluids were widely used as refrigerants until then, but were found to be harmful to the Ozone Layer. So CFCs were substituted by the HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons), which, years later, were found to be powerful greenhouse gases.


Europe, players could choose between natural refrigerants and transitory options with GWP below or equal 2500 - which had a lower cost for not requiring product redesign. But the transitory refrigerants are not the answer for after 2022.


The choices to be made To comply with the regulations after 2022 in Europe, each commercial refrigeration equipment manufacturer is going to have to choose between two options: natural refrigerants or low GWP HFCs, also known as HFOs or, by their flammability classification, A2L refrigerants. From the perspective of Embraco, we have seen that the path for this choice is different according to the application, considering the requirements of cooling capacity versus permitted refrigerant charge, energy efficiency and flammability. We can divide the landscape of applications


into two groups: plug-ins, which are the systems connected directly to the refrigeration equipment, and remote systems, the ones in which the refrigeration system is separated from the refrigeration equipment and connected to it through pipelines. When we are talking about plug-ins, there is already a consensus in the industry that natural refrigerant R290 (propane) is proving to be the best choice. Whereas for remote systems, or others that require larger cooling capacities, there are still questions not answered involving variables such as refrigerant charge, application type, legislation and the refrigerant GWP. So far, 80% of our customers in Europe already buy plug-in solutions running on HCs. The reasons for that can be understood with


www.acr-news.com


the comparison table below. It shows that, in addition to having a very low environmental impact, natural refrigerants are more energy efficient, have lower costs and lower thermal profile (resulting in longer compressor’s lifetime).


For a great number of light commercial applications, natural refrigerants are the best choice in a climate-friendly point of view as well as in an economic point of view, which is what we can call a win-win situation. That is why some market leader


manufacturers of ice machines, which are not even obliged to be under 150 GWP by 2022, have already made the migration to R290, adapting their products and manufacturing processes. In Russia, many manufacturers are doing the same because of the technological and economic advantages, even though the regulations in the country are not the same as in Europe. In addition to that, for some applications, the energy efficiency added by natural refrigerants usage is the difference between being or not compliant with European ecodesign regulations (that sets mandatory minimum standards for appliances’ energy efficiency). Based in our studies, we can see that the applications and refrigerants combinations go in the direction pointed by the table below, where natural refrigerants are predominant among self contained applications. About other applications, an important point that still needs definition is the regulations for the use of R290 in 500g charges. From Embraco’s market analysis we believe that hydrocarbons are going to be the predominant choice in the market from 2025 on, followed by low GWP HFCs and CO2


. November 2020 23 2006 2015


First European Union F-Gas regulation, ruling


the gradual ban on HFCs with high global warming potential.


Second edition of the EU F-Gas regulation.


Domestic refrigerators and freezers that contain HFCs with GWP of 150 or more were banned.


2016


The Montreal Protocol was complemented by the


Kigali Amendment focusing on gradually reducing the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Until October 2020, 106 parties, including the European Union, had ratified the Kigali Amendment.


2020


EU F-Gas regulation ban on refrigerators and


freezers for commercial use (hermetically sealed systems) that contain HFCs with GWP of 2500 or more.


EU F-Gas regulation ban on stationary refrigeration equipment that contains, or that relies upon for its functioning, HFCs with GWP of 2500 or more, except equipment intended for applications designed to cool products to temperatures below -50°C.


2022


EU F-Gas regulation ban on refrigerators and


freezers for commercial use (hermetically sealed systems) that contain HFCs with GWP of 150 or more.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48