As a side event to a key Montreal Protocol meeting, shecco hosted an ATMOsphere Network event to show-off the progress that developing countries have made in the introduction of natural refrigerants, notably hydrocarbons, ammonia and CO2 as well as emerging technological trends.
China commits further to naturals with the introduction of standards and environmentally friendly label
Zhong Zhifeng of China’s Foreign Economic Co-operation Office at the Ministry of Environmental Protection started the conference off with an update on China’s progress in the introduction of natural refrigerants in the domestic refrigeration and air conditioning sectors. Zhifeng noted that the domestic refrigeration market in China has been moving towards hydrocarbons since the 1990s and has advanced to the stage where 100% of newly produced Chinese refrigerators and freezers now use hydrocarbons.
Other initiatives in this push for naturals include vital new standards for the safe use, installation, maintenance, production and transportation of natural refrigerants to help avoid any problems that are associated with mishandling. In addition to this, together with GIZ, UNIDO and UNEP, China’s FECO launched a label for use with environmentally-friendly residential refrigeration and air-conditioning products: especially R290 RAC and CO2 heat pumps.
This notable level of progress was in-line with shecco’s Nina Masson who previewed shecco’s upcoming GUIDE to natural refrigerants in China – State of the Industry 2015. The GUIDE, to be launched in May 2015, includes the largest ever survey of China’s natural refrigerant industry and the findings supported Zhong’s argument that there is a shift in the market towards the future use of natural refrigerants. A key statistic Masson provided was that 50% of respondents currently not using natural refrigerants plan to begin using them in the future.
Role of naturals also developing in Mexico, Vietnam and The Gambia
Mexico’s progress in phasing out HCFCs was detailed by Agustín Sánchez Guevara who explained the three stages of Mexico’s phase-out management plan. Whilst the first stage focused on the foam and aerosol sectors as well as domestic and commercial refrigeration, the second stage will aim to introduce hydrocarbons as a standard in refrigeration and the third stage will look to phase out the remaining sectors using R22 and HCFC 142b. Guevara noted that in Mexico there is now a refrigeration company producing domestic refrigeration units using hydrocarbons and also two companies producing stand-alone commercial refrigeration units with hydrocarbons and R744. Guevara ended his presentation with the good news that Mexico is well on-track to meeting its phase-out of 97.5% of HCFCs by 2030.
Stephan Sicars, UNIDO’s Director of the Environment Branch, provided an update on UNIDO’s work in Vietnam and The Gambia and their phasing-in of naturals. In Vietnam, the introduction of R290 is being advanced with the help of a financial scheme available for facility owners to convert their facilities to the new technology. UNIDO’s other goals in Vietnam include increasing awareness of alternate refrigerants through training and capacity building.
In The Gambia, the focus is on improving energy efficiency, assisting in reducing leakages of ozone depleting substances and a reduction of contaminated refrigeration and supplanting these with two types of demonstration systems, the first using hydrocarbons for retrofits and the second a full-scale CO2 subcritical system.
Solutions becoming more abundant to help developing countries introduce naturals
With regards to the increasing use of CO2 solutions in supermarkets, there have been concerns relating to the efficiency of CO2 as a refrigerant in high-ambient temperatures. Petter Nekså, SINTEF’s chief research scientist in the Department of Gas Technology, showed that these concerns are gradually being dispelled. Thanks to the dissemination of case studies and the development of technologies such as multi-ejectors, Neskå was able to show that CO2 has made great leaps in the past decade and should no longer be deemed as inefficient in higher temperatures. Neskå also gave an overview of new applications currently being prepared for the use of CO2 transcritical.
Eric Delforge of Mayekawa put forward the case for ammonia to policymakers in order to leapfrog HFCs. Delforge stated that for “industrial refrigeration, ammonia is the clear choice”, noting that it is cheap, widely-available, easy to use and safe due to its use in controlled environments. However, Delforge noted that there remain barriers for Article 5 countries including the availability of equipment, training and absence of key standards and legislation. But the opportunities, Delforge reiterated, are huge especially with technological advancements in low-charge ammonia systems that further abate safety fears.
Zhong Zhifeng of China’s Foreign Economic Co-operation Office at the Ministry of Environmental Protection started the conference off with an update on China’s progress in the introduction of natural refrigerants in the domestic refrigeration and air conditioning sectors. Zhifeng noted that the domestic refrigeration market in China has been moving towards hydrocarbons since the 1990s and has advanced to the stage where 100% of newly produced Chinese refrigerators and freezers now use hydrocarbons.
Other initiatives in this push for naturals include vital new standards for the safe use, installation, maintenance, production and transportation of natural refrigerants to help avoid any problems that are associated with mishandling. In addition to this, together with GIZ, UNIDO and UNEP, China’s FECO launched a label for use with environmentally-friendly residential refrigeration and air-conditioning products: especially R290 RAC and CO2 heat pumps.
This notable level of progress was in-line with shecco’s Nina Masson who previewed shecco’s upcoming GUIDE to natural refrigerants in China – State of the Industry 2015. The GUIDE, to be launched in May 2015, includes the largest ever survey of China’s natural refrigerant industry and the findings supported Zhong’s argument that there is a shift in the market towards the future use of natural refrigerants. A key statistic Masson provided was that 50% of respondents currently not using natural refrigerants plan to begin using them in the future.
Role of naturals also developing in Mexico, Vietnam and The Gambia
Mexico’s progress in phasing out HCFCs was detailed by Agustín Sánchez Guevara who explained the three stages of Mexico’s phase-out management plan. Whilst the first stage focused on the foam and aerosol sectors as well as domestic and commercial refrigeration, the second stage will aim to introduce hydrocarbons as a standard in refrigeration and the third stage will look to phase out the remaining sectors using R22 and HCFC 142b. Guevara noted that in Mexico there is now a refrigeration company producing domestic refrigeration units using hydrocarbons and also two companies producing stand-alone commercial refrigeration units with hydrocarbons and R744. Guevara ended his presentation with the good news that Mexico is well on-track to meeting its phase-out of 97.5% of HCFCs by 2030.
Stephan Sicars, UNIDO’s Director of the Environment Branch, provided an update on UNIDO’s work in Vietnam and The Gambia and their phasing-in of naturals. In Vietnam, the introduction of R290 is being advanced with the help of a financial scheme available for facility owners to convert their facilities to the new technology. UNIDO’s other goals in Vietnam include increasing awareness of alternate refrigerants through training and capacity building.
In The Gambia, the focus is on improving energy efficiency, assisting in reducing leakages of ozone depleting substances and a reduction of contaminated refrigeration and supplanting these with two types of demonstration systems, the first using hydrocarbons for retrofits and the second a full-scale CO2 subcritical system.
Solutions becoming more abundant to help developing countries introduce naturals
With regards to the increasing use of CO2 solutions in supermarkets, there have been concerns relating to the efficiency of CO2 as a refrigerant in high-ambient temperatures. Petter Nekså, SINTEF’s chief research scientist in the Department of Gas Technology, showed that these concerns are gradually being dispelled. Thanks to the dissemination of case studies and the development of technologies such as multi-ejectors, Neskå was able to show that CO2 has made great leaps in the past decade and should no longer be deemed as inefficient in higher temperatures. Neskå also gave an overview of new applications currently being prepared for the use of CO2 transcritical.
Eric Delforge of Mayekawa put forward the case for ammonia to policymakers in order to leapfrog HFCs. Delforge stated that for “industrial refrigeration, ammonia is the clear choice”, noting that it is cheap, widely-available, easy to use and safe due to its use in controlled environments. However, Delforge noted that there remain barriers for Article 5 countries including the availability of equipment, training and absence of key standards and legislation. But the opportunities, Delforge reiterated, are huge especially with technological advancements in low-charge ammonia systems that further abate safety fears.
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Apr 28, 2015, 16:57
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