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HEALTH & SAFETY ADVANCED GAS DETECTORS:
IMPROVING SAFETY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN INDUSTRY
H
VAC systems play a vital role in today’s manufacturing and engineering environments. They regulate temperature and humidity, improve air quality and ensure
comfortable working conditions. In doing so, they prevent equipment from overheating or corrosion; maintain the temperature and humidity levels needed for certain types of processing; and remove dust, fumes and other airborne particles to ensure employee safety and avoid product contamination. While these are very important benefits, the
downside to HVAC systems is that the refrigerant gases they use are toxic super greenhouse gases. When these gases escape, which they are prone to do, they present a serious risk to health and safety, cause HVACs to operate less efficiently and contribute to global warming. Swift detection is essential to mitigate these
issues; however, as the gases are colourless, odourless and tasteless, employees cannot sense their presence in the air. In the majority of cases, HVAC leaks go undetected until 60 per cent of the gas has escaped. Employees who are exposed to the gases are susceptible to a variety of health complaints, including nausea, skin and eye irritation, coughing, headaches and breathing problems. The hazards are greater in confined spaces or when concentration levels increase. Here the risk includes unconsciousness and suffocation. Another potential issue for manufacturing and engineering companies is that some refrigerants are flammable and thus present a fire risk.
WASTED ENERGY AND GLOBAL WARMING With high energy prices having a biting impact on manufacturing and engineering companies, it is important to understand the financial effect of an undetected refrigerant gas leak. According to The Carbon Trust, the average HVAC system in the UK leaks 20 per cent of its gas each year, decreasing its energy efficiency by around 11 per cent. Sustaining the same level of temperature control will therefore require an 11 per cent hike in energy usage. As leaks are not usually detected until 60 per cent of gas has escaped, many businesses could unnecessarily be paying 33 per cent more to run their HVAC systems.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems have become ubiquitous in the manufacturing and engineering industries. However, the refrigerant gases used in these systems are hazardous and when leakages occur, they pose serious safety and environmental risks. Shaun Evers, managing director of Stonegate, examines the issues surrounding refrigerant gas leaks and explains how modern gas detection technologies improve safety, energy efficiency and sustainability.
The impact of leaking gases on the
environment is also staggering. Known as super greenhouse gasses, the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in HVACs can have global warming potentials (GWP) up to several thousand times greater than carbon dioxide. R-404A, for instance, will stay active in the atmosphere for over a century, during which time a single kilogramme will have the same global warming effect as four cubic tonnes of CO2 .
REGULATION AND COMPLIANCE Given the risks associated with fluorinated gases (F-gases), they are understandably highly regulated. Gas leak checks are compulsory, with frequencies between every three and twelve
months determined by the system’s F-gas to CO2 tonnage equivalence. HVACs that contain F-gas
equivalent to 500 tonnes of CO2 are also required to have a leak detection system installed. Additionally, F-gases with a GWP greater than
40 JULY/AUGUST 2024 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
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