Heatcraft is helping its customers make the transition to lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) alternatives using its 2013 Driving Efficiency Roadshow to outline options going forward.
In a presentation on energy efficiency and refrigerant trends, Heatcraft’s national channel manager for retail solutions and supermarkets, Tony Queenin, says its time for customers to start thinking about replacement options or retrofitting existing systems to avoid future supply issues.
Queenin says there is no longer the option of using refrigerants like R404A which have
a GWP of 3260 or to continue using R22 which is facing a massive shortfall.
“The cost of R134A and R404A has increased significantly since July 2012, refrigerants are no longer a consumable but an asset,” Queenin says.
“Refrigerants in existing systems need to be protected, that means repairing all leaks and reusing refrigerant wherever possible.”
With the phase out of HCFCs under the Montreal Protocol, Queenin says R22 is facing critical shortages.
Imports will decrease every two years and by 2015 there will be a 90 per cent reduction
on import limits, with an almost total phase out by 2020. In the year 2011, Australia imported 1,300 tonnes of R22.
“This dropped to 725 tonnes in the 2012/13 financial year and will fall even further to 125 tonnes in 2014/15,” Queenin says.
By the year 2016 it will fall to 45 tonnes.
“This is why a migration plan needs to be in place. There are a number of products that can be considered for R22 retrofits including R438A, R407C and R407F.
“R407F has half the GWP of R404A and is similar to R22.”
Queenin also referred to the arrival of R32 in Australia as a replacement for R410A in domestic air conditioning units.
“The A2 flammability rating limits the charge and the higher operating pressures can decrease performance on systems not optimised for R32,” he says.
For larger systems, Queenin outlined options for using natural refrigerants such as Co2 cascade systems. as well as the use of hydrocarbons for smaller systems.
When it comes to retrofits, Queenin says replacing R22 with R407F is pretty straight forward but requires a change to POE oil and all seals and gaskets should be replaced.
He talked about the development of HFOs and the need for additional training to deal with blends such as R444A and R445A.
The HCFC phaseout, he says, has also led to a resurgence in secondary refrigerant (glycol) systems/water chillers.
“The first step has to be to reduce leaks, minimise your emissions to save money,” Queenin says.
“Regular maintenance such as leak checks and cleaning heat transfer coils, these steps will become increasingly important.”