Manuals and reference materials

The updated edition was announced in January 2018. The first PURR (Putting into Use Replacement Refrigerants) report was produced in 2015 by members of BRAbrapurr to help the industry meet some of the key implications and requirements of the EU F Gas regulation that came into force on 1st January 2015; in particular the urgent need to move away from high GWP refrigerants, such as R404A.

The rapid rise in Asean’s electricity demand in recent years has led to a surge in CO₂ emissions and pollutants that threaten to create an environmental crisis for a region already vulnerable to the impact of extreme weather and poor air quality.

UN Environment OzonAction is assisting all developing countries (Article 5 under the Montreal Protocol) through its networks of National Ozone Officers (146 developing countries), clearinghouse and capacity-building activities to implement their national hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) phase-out. OzonAction supports efforts to phase out HCFCs, adopt non-ozone depleting, non global warming and energy-efficient alternatives in a safe and sustainable manner, ultimately protecting our common global property – the Earth’s ozone layer.

With the phase-out of HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer progressing, the introduction of alternatives with not only zero ozone depleting potential (ODP) but also low global warming potential (GWP) and improved energy efficiency is becoming an issue of increasing importance, especially in developing countries.

In recent years, ozone depletion efforts have primarily focused on the obligatory phasing out of ozone depleting substances (ODS). However, in 2013, Decision XIX/6 at the 19th Meeting of the Parties highlighted the importance of climate and energy-efficiency as related to HCFC phaseout. In order to achieve reduction of both ODS and GHG emissions, attention must be paid to activities at a microlevel. This includes reducing leakage rates, adopting good service practices, improving energy-efficiency and preventing adverse environmental impacts during equipment servicing and maintenance.

Contractors’ group AREA has produced a document explaining the legal responsibilities of those buying or selling pre-charged equipment under the European F-gas regulations.

A new document from Beijer Ref seeks to clarify what refrigeration equipment is currently approved as suitable for use with the new generation of lower GWP refrigerants.

F-gas certification body Refcom has produced a technical bulletin about lower flammability refrigerants in response to the HFC phasedown.

Emerson has updated its important 93-11 document, listing all refrigerants and lubricants approved for its Copeland compressors.

Refrigerant recovery is the focus of the latest technical bulletin from certification company Refcom.

The latest 2017 edition of the AHRI Standard 700, Specifications for Refrigerants, is now available to download from the AHRI website.

The GUIDE to Natural Refrigerants Training in Europe 2017 demonstrates that training is readily available.

This safety alert concerns Class 2.1 Flammable refrigerant gases and provides guidance to occupiers of premises on how to control the risk of fire and explosion from refrigeration and air-conditioning systems containing flammable refrigerants.

Summary of data reported by companies on the production, import and export of fluorinated greenhouse gases in the European Union.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases globally, but also one of the areas where climate-friendly, energy-efficient alternatives, such as natural refrigerants, are readily available for a growing number of applications. In 2014, the EU took regulatory action to limit the use of these gases through a combination of measures. The EU F-Gas Regulation, which entered into force in 2015, is rapidly changing the face of European industry and influencing markets beyond Europe’s borders.

UNEP fact sheet on tools comonly used by RAC technicians.

Ever since the Montreal Protocol agreed to phase out hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), there has been an increasing interest within the Protocol on climate issues. Decision XIX/6, taken in 2007, to adjust the Protocol to accelerate the phase out of HCFCs includes language to encourage the promotion of alternatives that minimise environmental impacts, in particular impacts on climate, as well as to prioritise funding for projects, inter alia, which focus on substitutes and alternatives that minimise other impacts on the environment, including on the climate, taking into account global-warming potential (GWP).

The number of single component refrigerants with different thermodynamic properties suitable for different types of equipment is limited. Growing demand for refrigeration and air-conditioning with diversified applications has led to a continued search for suitable refrigerant blends. A number of such blends have been developed by mixing two or more single component refrigerants in different proportions. The resulting blend, has entirely different properties from that of its components.

The Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer reached agreement at their 28th Meeting of the Parties on 15 October 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda to phase-down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). HFCs are commonly used alternatives to ozone depleting substances (ODS). While not ozone depleting substances themselves, HFCs are greenhouse gases which can have high or very high global warming potentials (GWPs), ranging from about 121 to 14,800.

UNEP fact sheet on non-ODS refrigerants.