The Ban on HCFC Refrigerants: Are You Ready?
Refrigerant Ban Background
The HCFC refrigerant ban comes into effect at different times, but the end of 2009 and 2010 are important milestones and you may need to take immediate action.
The initial legislation against substances that deplete the ozone layer grew out of the Montreal Protocol, a globally agreed plan negotiated by industrialized nations. Although the EU is a signatory to the protocol, subsequent EU legislation has been much stronger in its approach to phasing out these substances.
In most cases, refrigerants containing CFCs or HCFCs will become controlled waste, requiring proper disposal by a licensed contractor. There is a duty of care on the part of the owner of the equipment from which the refrigerants are extracted.
Strategies for the elimination of CFCs (excerpt from the Office of Government Commerce)
1) Research the identity of your refrigerants; (CAU can help in this regard and provide details of consultants who can prepare a sampling study and report for your property).
2) Adapt to phase-out by holding stock for the next year followed by conversion of machinery to non-CFC refrigerants. Industry recommendations indicate that conversion would probably not be cost effective on systems with less than 5 years residual life.
3) Buy new CFC-free equipment. An evaluation should be carried out before the purchase to ensure that air conditioning is really necessary, remembering that a building with air conditioning can consume up to three times the energy of a similar building without air conditioning.
4) Do without air conditioning. If buildings can be adequately ventilated and heated by mechanical or natural ventilation, then this can be a pragmatic approach, which will also have space and cost saving benefits.
Terminology
ODP – Ozone Depletion Potential. Represented as a comparative measure of the ODP of CFC11, which is considered to have a value of 1.0. CFC – chlorofluorocarbon. It contains chlorine and has a high PAO. CFCs are generally found in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, for example. Centrifugal chillers. HCFC – hydrochlorofluorocarbon. Less saturated with chlorine, the hydrogen within these compounds means that HCFCs have a much shorter atmospheric lifetime and therefore have a lower ODP.
Important dates
As of midnight on December 31, 2009, the use of virgin HCFC refrigerants will be illegal.
The EU Ozone Regulation has already banned the use of CFC refrigerants in existing plants and HCFC refrigerants in new plants.
Starting in 2010, the ban on the use of HCFC refrigerants in existing plants will begin, which means that all HCFC refrigerants, including R22, will be completely banned.
The use of virgin HCFCs will be prohibited from midnight on December 31, 2009. The use of recycled HCFCs will be prohibited from December 31
2014. These ‘use’ bans apply to the use of HCFCs for plant maintenance and you cannot use previously purchased stocks.