R22 Phase Out

From the 1st January 2015, it will be illegal to use any HCFC’s to service RAC equipment, so reclaimed or recycled R22 will no longer be used. No service or maintenance work can be carried out on equipment, which involves breaking into the system. Please contact us on 01375 392545 or click on the link below for more information.
http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/air/fgas/documents/fgassupport-rac8.pdf

Common Refrigerant Information

HCFC Refrigerants – Hydrochlorofluorocarbons

R22 – Freon 22 (banned from 1st January 2015) is an HCFC refrigerant used for residential and commercial air conditioning and for medium- and low-temperature commercial refrigeration applications, including: food service, supermarket display cases, food storage and processing, and transport refrigeration systems.
HFC Refrigerants – Hydrofluorocarbons

R134a – is an HFC retrofit refrigerant for R-12. It is used in new medium- and high-temperature stationary commercial refrigeration, as well as chiller systems and home appliances. It is also the global standard for mobile air conditioning.

R407C – is an HFC refrigerant replacement for R-22 in positive displacement systems such as new or existing residential and commercial air-conditioners and heat pumps.

R404A – During the last 10 to 15 years R404A has become one of the most widely used refrigerants. It was introduced in the mid-1990s as a replacement for ozone depleting refrigerants including CFCs (such as R12 and R502) and more recently as a replacement for HCFCs (such as R22). R404A delivers exceptional capacity and efficiency as an R-502 and R-22 replacement in refrigeration applications and is approved for use by the leading compressor and equipment manufacturers worldwide.
R407 F- It is a blend of R32, R125 and R134a, and is related to R407C, but has a pressure which better matches R22 and is a lower GWP (global warming potential) to R404a.

With the recently started discussion to reduce the GWP on refrigerants, R407F could also be an alternative as R404A/R507 replacement. The GWP of R407F is with 1800 lower as for R404A which 3900. R407F is an alternative in both medium- and low temperature applications in commercial refrigeration systems. It is non-flammable and has only low toxicity.

R410A – is the leading HFC refrigerant for replacing R-22 in positive displacement residential and light commercial air-conditioning and heat pump systems. It has higher cooling capacity and significantly higher pressure than R-22 and should be used only in systems specifically designed for R-410A.

R422D – is a cost-effective, non-ozone-depleting HFC refrigerant for replacing R-22 in medium-temperature direct expansion (DX) refrigeration applications (can also be used for low temperature), including commercial supermarket systems, and in stationary DX air conditioning applications, including DX water chillers.
Natural Refrigerants.

R717 – Ammonia has been a popular refrigerant for over 100 years. It has excellent thermodynamic properties and is very low cost in comparison to other refrigerants. It has a zero ODP (ozone depleting potential) and GWP (global warming potential) and is very popular in industrial applications.

F Gas Regulations

The new F-Gas regulations became law on 4th July 2006 with the majority of measures taking effect from 4th July 2007. The main objective of this regulation is to contain, prevent and thereby reduce emissions of the fluorinated greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto protocol. The regulation addresses containment, use, recovery, destruction, reporting, labelling, training and certification on the market prohibitions for the fluorinated gases.

The relevant parts affecting refrigeration and air conditioning are detailed below:

Leakage Inspection

  • Systems shall be checked for leakage dependant on refrigerant charge
  • 3kg charge – leak checked at least every 12 months
  • 30kg charge – leak checked at least every 6 months
  • 300kg charge – leak checked at least every 3 months
  • If a leak on the system has been repaired, it must be re-checked within one month of the original repair to ensure it was effective.
  • Operators of equipment containing 300kg or more shall install automatic leakage detection systems which must be tested every twelve months.
  • “Checked for leakage” means that the system is examined for leakage using direct and indirect methods.

Record Keeping

Operators of equipment with more than 3kg will need to maintain records on the quantity and type of HFC installed. Any quantities added or recovered during maintenance, servicing and disposal will need to be recorded along with leak checks and any actions taken. These records need to be made available upon request by the authority.

Recovery

Operators of refrigeration equipment are responsible for putting in place arrangements for the proper recovery by certified personnel who comply with the training and certification requirements.

Fox Refrigeration Services will manage all your FGAS responsibilities including all documentation within a maintenance contract.

F-gas facts

  • The three groups of F-gases are hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
  • F-gases account for 2% of the EU’s overall greenhouse gas emissions, but F-gas emissions have risen by 60% since 1990 – in contrast to all other greenhouse gases, which have been reduced
  • F-gases can remain in the atmosphere for thousands of years
  • Equipment and appliances containing F-gases can have long lifetimes of up to 50 years

Visit http://www.fgas.org/ for more information