Page 36 - Climate Control News Magazine Feb 2020

Natural Refrigerant Feature
OPINION
A guide to hydrocarbons
HYCHILL AUSTRALIA GENERAL manager, Mario Balen, explains why hydrocarbon refriger- ants are deserving of much greater recognition.
As an advocate for natural refrigerants and a true believer in the supremacy of hydrocar- bons as an excellent refrigerant, I was disap- pointed by the release of the Flammable Refrig- erant Guide which demonstrated a bias toward synthetic refrigerants.
The guide was a joint project between Refrig- erant Reclaim Australia, automotive thermal and electrical trade association VASA and GHD Engineering, on the use of flammable gases, in an automotive workshop environment.
Interestingly, it was released at a time when the use of natural refrigerants is growing world- wide, particularly hydrocarbons. Just recently the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) increased the charge limit for A3 (flamma- ble) refrigerants from 150g to 500g and increased the charge limit for A2 and A2L (low flammable) refrigerants from 150g to 1,200g in self-contained commercial refrigeration cabinets.
This increase is good news but there is still a long way to go, as there are many who believe the increase was too small.
Reading the guide it’s clear that instead of working constructively on how to ensure hy- drocarbon use is made safe, easy and effec- tive, the authors of this guide focused on re- stricting its use.
The Guide lists HFO R1234yf as A2L lower flammability, R12 and R134a as A1 not flam- mable and hydrocarbons as A3
higher flammability.
The guide rightly states that both A2L and A3 categories fall under the same provisions when it comes to the Dangerous Goods classifica- tion – they are both classed as 2.1 Flammable. For years, though, they have been try-
ing to ignore the fact, known
to every mechanic and tech- nician who has ever dabbled
in air conditioning, that even
R12 and R134a, once mixed
with oil inside the AC system, becomes highly flammable.
As we all know AC systems
are inherently designed to handle a flammable, pressur-
ized compound that is circulating inside it. The Guide also forgot to mention that such reputable brands as Daimler-Benz refused to use R1234yf, believing it has the potential to
become extremely toxic when heated!
At present, R1234yf costs up to 10 times more than R134a and up to 25 times more than Minus30 hydrocarbon blend (per car
charge).
Although R1234yf and hydrocar-
bons fall under the same Dangerous Goods code, the guide implies that once R1234yf is transferred from a cylinder on the shop floor to in- side a car it magically becomes
less flammable.
The differential treatment
of these two refrigerants by the authors of this guide is misleading. As a result I be- lieve the information provided
is incomplete.
Hydrocarbon refrigerants are
here to stay. Enjoy the benefits and savings they bring to your AC
systemandtheenvironment! ✺
36
Refrigerants driving growth of industrial refrigeration market
Demand for innovative and compact refrigeration systems is growing.
THE GROWING ADOPTION of natu- ral refrigerant-based industrial refrigera- tion systems is one of the major driving factors behind the growth of this market.
According to ResearchandMarkets. com, the global industrial refrigeration system market is expected to grow from $US19.3 billion in 2019 to $US24.8 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.3%.
In its latest report, the research firm said another driver is rising demand for innovative and compact refrigera- tion systems.
“Moreover, increasing government sup- port to strengthen the cold chain infra- structure in developing countries is driving the growth of this market. However, high installation costs and other expenses has restrained the market,” the report said.
At a component level, the report said the industrial refrigeration system market for
compressors is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.
“Many companies are focusing on cost reduction in the manufacturing of industrial refrigeration compressors. With the increase in the application ar- eas of industrial refrigeration systems, companies are developing new compres- sors to meet the diverse needs of cus- tomers and explore this untapped mar- ket, which is expected to increase the demand for compressors.”
Based on application, cold storage is the fastest growing segment of the market.
ResearchandMarkets.com said the number of refrigerated warehouses glob- ally has increased significantly in the past few years.
By region, APAC is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the fore- cast period. ✺
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