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 Editor's Note: CR4 would like to thank Bassam Elassaad for contributing this second installment in GEA Consulting's Refrigerant series. Click here for Part 1.
First it was the CFC gases that were declared the main culprit behind
the depletion of the ozone layer and were banned through a global
agreement; later the HCFCs were considered as mild agents in the
depletion process and are scheduled for phase-out by 2030. Now it is
the HFCs that are scheduled for a possible phase-down because of a
different reason: their Global Warming Potential (GWP) as Green House
Gases (GHG).
With the succession of events, one would think that the world would
have one global regulation, for an important matter like refrigerants,
to govern its uses and bans. In fact there is the Montreal Protocol
which was agreed upon in 1987 to limit Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS),
but then it differentiated between developed countries (Article 2) from
developing countries (Article 5) is as far as phase-out dates and
eligibility for assistance.
 The
European Union (EU) was more enthusiastic and went ahead of the various Protocol agreements to ban HCFCs in new equipment ten years ahead of
other Article 2 countries. The EU passed a regulation on the other
fluorinated gases (F-gas Regulation) including HFCs to regulate their
use and control their emissions. Austria and Denmark were not content
with this regulation and went ahead to ban HFCs altogether ahead of the
other EU countries.
ODS is now a term from the past. As a matter of fact, studies show
that the ozone hole is on the mend. GWP and GHG have taken over with
continuing discussions over another protocol: Kyoto. Refrigerants are
now termed as medium GWP, low GWP, and very low GWP. The Mobile Air
Conditioner (MAC) Directive in the EU specifies a maximum GWP for
vehicles and there is talk of limiting the GWP of acceptable
alternatives to ODS substances.
What about safety regulations? There are safety classes for
flammability: the higher and lower limits as well as flame propagation
and speed. A new class has been proposed: class A2L for mildly
flammable gases that have low flame propagation and speed. Mention
toxicity and other classifications exist; however, the most critical
factor these days is efficiency with different countries setting
different standards for minimum efficiency of refrigerant using
products.
Recently, the Middle Eastern Gulf countries raised the issue of high
ambient temperatures and the effect of the critical temperature of gases
on efficiency and performance. They requested further testing to
decide what can be accepted and what needs to be banned.
Confused? So are most people working with refrigerants!!
- Bassam Elassaad
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