Page 17 - Climate Control News Magazine April 2021

There are several suitable HFC retrofit refrig- erants on the market – R407F is a medium GWP option but products such as Opteon XP40 (R449A) offer a lower GWP alternative. Along with Solstice N40 (R448A), they are currently the lowest GWP replacements on the market (around 1400) and are closely matched to R404A in terms of refrigeration capacity.
The industry should stop using the word drop- in because there really is no such thing. With the introduction of any replacement refrigerant an adjustment will have to be made to the system to get the best out of it – let me emphasise it is not a case of simply dropping it in.
“THE INDUSTRY SHOULD STOP USING THE WORD DROP-IN BECAUSE THERE REALLY IS NO SUCH THING.”
Monitoring the system performance is a cru- cial part of a retrofit and you should start this while the system is still running on R404A by re- cording the typical running conditions. All the standard system operating parameters should be checked to establish the benchmark tempera- tures and pressures.
The health of refrigerant and oil in a live sys- tem are key drivers in efficiency and lifespan, factors that impact not only the bottom line but also our environment. A-Gas supports industry in maintaining the health and longevity of sys- tems by offering the A-Gas Refrigerant Health Check (VRHC) – an analytical product designed to equip users with an understanding of the quality of refrigerant running through their sys- tems. This allows for diagnosis of potential is- sues and assists in the planning of ongoing pre- ventative maintenance and system optimisation.
The A-Gas Refrig Health Check analysis kit consists of easy-to-follow instructions, two reus-
able cylinders for liquid and vapour samples, a lab- approved oil sample canister and all necessary fit- tings and hoses to facilitate sampling. Once received the refrigerant samples are processed by highly experienced technicians through our own A-Gas in-house laboratory and results bench- marked against the AHRI700 standard. All results are provided in a comprehensive report including further insight into diagnosis results and sugges- tions to improve the health of your system.
The only way to understand how the quality of refrigerant may be impacting on your system is to have the full picture. The A-Gas Refrig Health Check is a comprehensive tool designed to give you this, test parameters including purity, com- position, moisture, boiling residue (oil content), acidity, chloride, particulates and non-conden- sable gases; with an additional 17 test parame- ters for the oil sample.
For unsatisfactory refrigerant results, A-Gas offers a reclamation service to assist in the envi-
ronmentally responsible disposal of your waste refrigerant in line with our commitment to sus- tainability and the environment.
Returning to emissions, it is worth noting that the largest producer of emissions in the lifetime of a refrigeration system – as high as 80 per cent – is likely to be the power station generating the electricity to run the equipment.
So, take care if you base your choice of refriger- ant on GWP alone. Refrigerants are different and each will have its own pros and cons but energy efficiency and good system performance will al- ways be a winner for the installer and the end user in the long run.
Your refrigerant supplier will be able to help you in the selection of the most appropriate re- frigerant for the system and you should consult with the equipment manufacturer too before making a final decision. They have the expertise to ensure that your choice of refrigerant will be the right one.
Refrigerant Feature
ABOVE: Energy efficiency is a critical factor when selecting a new refrigerant. ABOVE RIGHT: Undertaking an oil analysis in the A-Gas lab.
CLIMATE CONTROL NEWS APRIL 2021
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