Section 01 Alternatives to HCFCs in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Sector 16 The emissions should be minimized through implementation of good servicing practices and effective re-use schemes. The main HCFC commonly used in air conditioning and refrigeration applications before 1985 was R-22. The main sectors where R-22 was the preferred refrigerant were in the air conditioning and industrial systems sectors where it was also competing with ammonia. When CFCs were identified as powerful ODS and a global phase-out was agreed under the Montreal Protocol in 1987, HCFCs were identified as less harmful substances and introduced in several sub-sectors Th e physical properties of R-22 result in good performance in a wide range of applications but with a limiting factor caused by the high temperatures occurring during compression. In refrigeration applications where the temperature difference between the desired temperature and the surroundings is high, the risk of unacceptable conditions and failures increases. In hot climates, the challenge in commercial refrigeration applications increases significantly more than in air conditioning systems. In industrial applications R-22 was an alternative to ammonia where it provided better cooling capacities than R-12 and was more readily available and cost less than R-502. In large installations the high temperatures could be handled with different technical solutions, but it was not as cost-effective in smaller commercial systems where R-12 and R-502 were more common. 1.2.2 SpSplit and unitarary air conditioning sector (including air-to-air heat pupumps)that were not traditional HCFC applications. As a result, R-22 and HCFC-containing drop-in blends are now found in commercial refrigeration and to some extent in transport refrigeration. The result is that replacement of HCFCs will have an impact on many sectors and to some extent the alternatives used will sometimes be the alternatives designed to replace CFCs rather than those designed for R-22 applications. The main focus in this report will be on segments where R-22 has a significant market share but in order to give a more complete “update”, other sectors will also be covered, although with less attention. 1.2.1 Air conditioning and industrial refrigeraration – traraditional R-22 sub-sectors. Su mmary Split and unitary systems R -22 is used mainly in split and unitary air conditioning equipment (see Figure 1.2). The quantity used in this application is sometimes underrated because in the manufacturing/exporting country the initial charge is considered ‘consumption’ whereas it is not considered as such in the importing country where the equipment will be installed and serviced. In new systems alternatives are readily available. Most often R-22 is replaced with R-410A or R-407C. Large volumes of R-22 systems are still being installed in some markets due to lower investment outlay and less-informed customers. As these units age, they can be expected to play a significant role in the consumption of HCFCs, once the freeze in HCFC consumption (this is usually equivalent to “imports” in most Article 5 countries) in 2013 takes effect. One of the priorities should be to stop the introduction of new R-22 equipment. The sooner legislation to ban the import, marketing and installation of new R-22 systems is established, the easier the transition will be. The cost for transition will be lower as the added initial cost is much lower than the cost to retrofit the system. Fig. 1.1 (opposite page) HCFCs are used in all refrigeration and air conditioning equipment that in turn is used everywhere in society.