Peter Dinnage, IDS Refrigeration business development manager, warns that serious problems could be afoot for both ac and refrigeration users if the phase-out of HCFCs is not addressed
WITH the current focus on the F-Gas regulations many have taken their eye off the phase out of HCFCs, which is now also rapidly heading our way. This is likely to present a serious problem for both users of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, and for contractors and consultants.
A high proportion of users appear to be waiting until they cannot buy HCFCs such as R22. Others have realised the potentially serious problem and started a programme of converting their equipment to easy to use direct replacement refrigerants, such as DuPont’s Isceon 9 series.
With approximately 40% - 50% of all refrigerant used for service requirements still being HCFCs, the scale of replacement should not be under estimated, nor the amount of suitably qualified manpower needed to effect a changeover.
An average size contractor may look after 400-500 systems on HCFCs across a number of customers. Even if they converted or replaced one system a week until phase-out of virgin product in a little less than three years, over half would still be on HCFCs.
Many users have started a programme of converting their equipment to easy-to-use direct replacement refrigerants
Equally, engineers are kept busy in the summer months just keeping up with repairs. Many have also yet to realise that the legislation does not permit the stockpiling of virgin HCFCs for use after phase-out. As a result, the supply chain will start de-stocking these refrigerants prior to their ban. Whilst reclaimed and recycled product will be allowed to be used there will not be enough product to meet the current demand. Blends containing R22 are likely to be most severely affected.
IDS Refrigeration has been supplying and helping customers change over to the Isceon 9 series for many years and has widespread experience of replacing both R22 and those blends containing R22.
Contractors and end-users across a wide range of industries have found Isceon MO59 (R417A) to work well in air conditioning and refrigeration applications. Meanwhile Isceon MO29 (R422D) is being used to replace R22 in water chiller applications, where it has shown an average 5% energy efficiency increase in comparison with R22 and other HCFCs. Increasingly it is also being used in medium and low temperature refrigeration applications with great success. Users of Isceon MO29 include large offices, supermarket packs, cold stores and large process plant refrigeration.
Isceon MO79 (R422A) has proven extremely successful replacing blends such as R408A, R402A and R403B as well as R22, where energy efficiency gains as high as 10% have been reported.
Each of these refrigerants operates with lower discharge temperatures which can be extremely beneficial, particularly at lower temperatures. An added advantage is that they operate with the same oils as the refrigerant they replace in the majority of instances.
The increased use of these products is testimony to their suitability and their growing popularity by those who have woken up to the need to replace HCFCs sooner rather than later.
IDS Refrigeration
0117 980 2530