Auxiliary equipment: Does your chiller face extinction?

The Montreal Protocol, an international treaty agreed introduced in 1989 and to date signed by 191 nations, set out a timetable for phase-out of CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) and HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon) refrigerants. In Europe additional legislation was introduced in 2000 for EU members that in some cases went beyond the requirements set by the Montreal Protocol. A ban on the supply and use for maintenance purposes was imposed on CFCs such as R12 and R502 as of Oct. 1, 2000.

HCFCs, of which R22 has historically been the most widely used for industrial water chillers, have been banned for use in new equipment since Jan. 1, 2001. No virgin HCFCs can be supplied after the end of 2009 and servicing of HCFC systems will be restricted to using recovered or reclaimed refrigerant. A total ban on HCFCs will be imposed as of Jan. 1, 2015.  Due to the number of R22 chillers currently in operation this is the area which users will need to give consideration to sooner rather than later. Because of its wide use in industrial water chillers and the impending phase-out timetable, suitable replacements have to be found for R22, with R134a, R407c and R410a HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) selected as potentially the most suitable replacements. Of these, R407c and R410a, which are blends of refrigerants, are the most widely used in new chillers today due to their efficiency.

Further legislation, termed F-gas Regulation, was imposed by the EU and came into force as of July 4, 2007.  This primarily covers the requirements for maintenance of chillers including those utilizing more modern HFCs. Annual leak checks are to be carried out by qualified refrigeration engineers on systems containing 3kg or more of F-gases. For systems with 30kg or more, biannual checks are required. For those holding 300kg or more, checks must be done quarterly. Maintenance records must be kept.  Users are responsible for ensuring their equipment is compliant with F-gas legislation.

There are few exceptions to the above phase-out dates in air conditioning, use for military purposes and domestic applications.  However, users of water chillers within the plastics processing industry should check their existing systems to see if imminent replacement may be necessary.

For further information to include on his firm’s program for assisting processors keep in accord with F-gas regulations, contact John Smith of Conair Europe Ltd. at [email protected].