On substances that deplete the ozone layer
Options for existing domestic refrigerators
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- 3.4 End-of-life disposal
- 3.5 Concluding remarks
- 3.6 References
3.3 Options for existing domestic refrigeratorsNon-Article 5 countries completed conversions of new equipment production to non-ozone depleting substances (ODSs) more than 15 years ago. Later, a number of Article 5 countries also completed their conversion, e.g. India by 2003. Therefore, most products containing ozone depleting refrigerants are now approaching the end of their life cycle. Field conversion to non-ODS refrigerants has significantly lagged original equipment conversion. The distributed and individual proprietor character of the service industry is a barrier to co-ordinated efforts to convert from ODS refrigerants. Field service procedures typically use originally specified refrigerants. Refrigerant blends developed specifically for use as drop-in service alternatives have had limited success. The interested reader is referred to the 1998 report of this committee for an extended discussion of field repair and conversion options (UNEP, 1998). Chapter 2 in this current report contains an updated listing of refrigerant blend options. Limited capital resources also favoured rebuilding service options in Article 5 countries versus replacement by new equipment. Rebuilding has the accompanying consequence of voiding the opportunity to significantly improve product energy efficiency and reduce stress on the power distribution grid. Field service conversion to non-ODS alternatives e.g. HFC-134a, and HFC and HC blends, is not being done significantly. In some countries, the old units are bartered for new appliances using non-ODS alternatives. The cost of extensive reconfiguration potentially required to properly convert for use of alternative refrigerants is a significant deterrent to this approach. In the case of conversion to HC blends, safety considerations require that any flammable fluid accumulation within an enclosed volume must avoid the potential within that volume for an electrical spark, electrical arc or surface temperature above the auto-ignition temperature of the leaked gas in air. The extent of in-service product modification to assure this is dependent upon the original product configuration. The original equipment manufacturer is most familiar with the product construction and should be consulted for required modifications prior to decision to proceed.
3.4 End-of-life disposalThe small unit charge and the geographically dispersed location of these units complicate commercial opportunities to promote recovery and recycling initiatives to manage emissions from disposed units. Regulations for mandatory end-of-life refrigerant handling have existed in many developed countries for several years and are being introduced in Article 5 countries. Chapter 11 of this report addresses this and related conservation approaches. Interest in conservation programmes is leveraged by the 1 to 2 kg of foam blowing agents typically present in a domestic refrigerator. For HPCDs, similar recovery and recycling technologies apply for refrigerant and lubricant as for domestic refrigeration systems, although there is no adequate experience in this emerging segment. 3.5 Concluding remarksConversion of new equipment production to non-ODS refrigerants in Article 5 countries occurred over a span of five to seventeen years ago. Migration to second generation non-ODS refrigerant from HFC-134a to HC-600a in new product production is occurring as a result of the GWP difference between the two alternatives. This migration began in Japan several years ago and is now occurring in Brazil, Mexico and the United States. No new technology is required and the trend will likely proliferate. The rate and extent of proliferation will be influenced by the relative cost for HFC-134a and HFC-600a products. Current estimates indicate that additional cost results from design changes to allow the use of flammable refrigerants in automatic defrost refrigerators. 3.6 ReferencesBeek, 2008 van Beek, M and Janssen, M., “R-744 compared to R-290 in small freezer applications,” 8th IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on National Working Fluids, Copenhagen, 2008. CEP, 2009 Domestic refrigeration refrigerant bank updated data through 2006. Authors, CEP, Ecole des Mines, December 2009. Ecocold, 2006 Eco-design requirements of EuP - Domestic Refrigerator and Freezer Directive Studies, July 2006, http://www.ecocold-domestic.org. Karber, 2012 Karber, K.M., Abdelaziz, O., Vineyard, E.A., Experimental Performance of R-1234yf and R-1234ze as Drop-in Replacementsfor R-134a in Domestic Refrigerators, International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Conference at Purdue, July 16-19, 2012 Leighton, 2011 Leighton, Investigation of household refrigerator with alternative low global warming potential refirgerants, Thesis Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, 2011 Meyers, 2010 Meyers, S., Franco, V.H., Lekov, A.B., Thompson, L., and Sturges, A., “Do Heat Pump Clothes Dryers Make Sense for the U.S. Market?” Presented at 2010 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, August 2010. Schwarz, 2012 Schwarz, W., Leisewitz, A., Gschrey, B., Herold, A., Gores, S., Papst, I., Usinger, J., Colbourne, D., Kauffeld, M., Pedersen, P.H., and Croiset, I. “Preparatory study for a review of Regulation (EC) No 842/2006 on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases - Annexes to the Final Report Prepared for the European Commission in the context of Service Contract No 070307/2009/548866/SER/C4”, 2013. UNEP, 1998 UNEP 1998 Report of the Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps Technical Options Committee, Chapter 3, Domestic Refrigeration (1998 Assessment). UNEP, 2002 UNEP 2002 Report of the Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps Technical Options Committee, Chapter 3, Domestic Refrigeration (2002 Assessment). UNEP, 2006 UNEP 2006 Report of the Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps Technical Options Committee, Chapter 3, Domestic Refrigeration (2006 Assessment). UNEP, 2010 UNEP Technology and Economic Assessment Panel Task Force Decision XXI/9 Report, “Assessment of HCFC’s and Environmentally Sound Alternatives Paragraph 2C,” (May 2010). Weston, 1997 Roy W. Weston Inc., Recycling Rate Determinant Study – Phase 1 Report, Norcross, Georgia (1997). Chapter 4 Commercial Refrigeration Chapter Lead Author Denis Clodic Lead Authors or Co-Authors Martien Janssen Michael Kauffeld Petter Neksa Per-Henrik Pedersen Alessandro Silva Rajan Rajandran Directory: meeting meeting -> Program description meeting -> Iea shcp/pvps working Group on pv/t solar Systems meeting -> Office of the collector: jagatsinghpur (st & sc development Section) meeting -> World meteorological organization meeting -> WG/hwsor action item summary (Current as of 28 Feb 2013) meeting -> Review of the past hurricane season meeting -> Review of the past hurricane season reports of hurricanes, tropical storms, tropical disturbances and related flooding during meeting -> Town of seabrook island meeting -> World meteorological organization Download 1.63 Mb. Share with your friends:
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