While there are no pending regulations that would curb production of HFCs, those specific refrigerants are a part of the equation when talk turns to the broad, emotionally laden topic of global warming.
In the category of “as California goes, so goes the rest of the nation,” the HVACR industry has been closely watching the impact of what is being called “the nation’s first comprehensive regulation to reduce potent greenhouse gases from commercial and industrial refrigeration.”
No technology has stirred up more attention in recent years than use of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant in both stationary and mobile HVACR applications. And yet the technology has more people head scratching over it in terms of dealing with the pressures, efficiencies, installation costs, and servicing skills.
Whether or not HCs become major refrigerant players in the U.S. depends on who you talk to. Advocates point to extremely lower global warming potential, low cost, and a proven track record in Europe and Asia. Others see the flammability issue, A3 safety rating, and current building and fire codes limiting use to smaller applications.
Every time I walk through a supermarket I take a look at the refrigeration and freezer cases. I want to see how well they are holding the temperature they should be holding. But from time to time, I realize that aspect of refrigeration is but a small part of how important it is to keep cold things cold.
In late 2010, Sprouts Farmers Market set out to meet the EPA’s most stringent GreenChill standards with construction of its Thousand Oaks, Calif., store. Sprouts tapped Hill Phoenix to design a refrigeration system that not only would be environmentally friendly, but also energy efficient and cost effective to install and maintain.
The ongoing approval process to bring online an innovative approach to dealing with refrigerants that have reached the end of their useful life has taken another step forward.
While the word “refrigerant” isn’t normally the first thing one thinks of when Thailand is mentioned (can you say “Pad Thai” or “Tom Yum soup”?), interestingly the two intersected at an event.
When mechanical refrigeration came along, refrigerants such as sulfur dioxide and ammonia and the fluorocarbons were introduced. The latter two — ammonia and f-gases — are still being used. Of the fluorocarbons, the choices were pretty simple: CFCs -11, -12, and -502. It is not so simple these days.
