Environmentally friendly
It is now mandatory that all refrigerants shall be recovered from systems via mechanical means, and personnel are trained and licensed to perform this task.
Update on the Revised European Regulation for Ozone Depleting Substances
CFC's – Ban on Use & Trade
This revised proposal will ban the use of CFC's from a date which remains yet to be finally agreed but is almost certainly to be at some point in 2000, so it is important to start planning now. The main points to consider are:
- TRADE:
- it will be illegal to trade in CFC's whether virgin or recycled for sale or free issue when this revised proposal passes into law. Exception only for essential use, e.g. pharmaceutical applications.
- STOCK:
- in view of the ban on use, contractors are advised to minimize their stock holdings of CFC's since, once the ban takes effect, the only disposal route will be high cost incineration.
- MAINTENANCE:
- users of CFC's can continue to top up refrigeration sets until the end of 2000, but CFC's must have been purchased and supplied prior to the new legislation taking effect.
- CONTINUED USE:
- after the end of 2000, CFC's can continue to be used in existing equipment but top-ups will not be permitted.
- RECYCLING:
- no distinction is made between virgin and recycled CFC's. However, CFC's taken out of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment can be toll cleaned and then put back into the same equipment.
- LEAKAGES:
- all precautionary measures possible must be taken to minimize leakages of CFC's and HCFC's, particularly in fixed equipment with a refrigerant charge of more than 3kgs which will be checked annually for leakages.
- TIMING:
- second reading took place in the European Parliament in December when some additional amendments were adopted.
HCFCs – Tighter Controls, Ban On Use In New Equipment & Earlier & Deeper Cutbacks
By far the largest HCFC refrigerant is R22 which dominates the refrigerants' market. R22 is used as a direct replacement for CFCs and also as a major component of most blends formulated as Drop-in alternatives for CFCs, e.g. R409A (FX56) to replace R12. R402A (HP80) to replace R502.
Control of HCFCs is by putting a cap on their usage according to a set of formula based on earlier levels of consumption which the new regulation seeks to tighten. The cutbacks proposed are quite severe, for example a near two-thirds reduction in 2003, which will inevitably lead to product shortages and the need to start thinking about strategies to replace R22 now. The main points of this proposal are:
- CUTBACK SCHEDULE:
- in comparison to the current regulation and based on a freeze in 1995, deeper and earlier cutbacks will be made according to the following timetable:
| Year |
% Cutback |
| 1995 |
Freeze |
| 2001 |
17 |
| 2002 |
30 |
| 2003 |
63 |
| 2004 |
75 |
| 2008 |
79 |
| 2010 |
100 phase-out |
- USE:
- to be prohibited in new equipment with effect from 2001. There is an exception here for reversible air conditioning/heat pump systems until 2004. The European Parliament has adopted an amendment which removes the derogation for fixed air conditioning systems less than 100kW cooling capacity to use HCFCs until 2003, which was contained in the earlier draft proposal. A further clause has been introduced which purports to ban all HCFCs with effect from 1 January 2007, and clarification is being sought as to what exactly is meant here.
- SERVICING:
- the original proposal was to permit virgin HCFCs to be used for the servicing of plant and equipment until 2010, but this date has now been brought forward to 2005 and will be the subject of much discussion and debate. The use of recovered and recycled material will be permitted.
- PRODUCTION:
- for the first time, production controls will be introduced into Europe.