EPA proposes tighter R-22 Refrigerant Regulations

In a move that could significantly affect the application of R-22 in the HVAC marketplace, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new rules on the Phase-out of R-22. These rules affect both the allocation of R-22 production and the installation of these products. According to an article in ACHR News:

The proposed “Adjustments to the Allowance System for Controlling HCFC Production, Import, and Export” appears to allow to EPA to go beyond the 75 percent target effective Jan. 1, 2010. The ruling also provides production allocations for various refrigerant manufacturers, ending some uncertainty in that matter.

The proposed “Ban on Sale or Distribution of Pre-Charged Appliances” says that as of Jan. 1, 2010 it will be illegal to import, produce, or sell R-22 for use in new equipment or pre-charged into such equipment. In effect, the ruling appears to say that if a contractor buys a product as of Jan. 1, 2010 that needs R-22, the charging would have to be done with existing recovered, recycled, and/or reclaimed R-22 — or R-22 alternatives — rather than virgin R-22.

These changes are significant and are detailed in depth in the AHRI summary comments of these changes.

There as a public comment period for each of these rules. EPA will accept comments until February 6, 2009 for the pre-charged rule and March 9, 2009 for the allocation rule.

Cautious owners and engineers would be wise to strongly consider making a complete switch to the HFC alternates readily available today, R-410a being the most likely option.

Aaon Rolls Out 410a Digital Scrolls!

Digital Scrolls offer great advantages over standard scroll compressors for rooftop packaged systems. Aaon was the first manufacturer to offer digital scrolls for their R-22 systems--but the phaseout of that refrigerant is looming.

The latest version of the Aaon Ecat32 software includes new offerings of digital scrolls for selected units using R-410a. These advanced compressors are available in the following units for the HFC refrigerant:

• 230/3/60 – RM-006; RM-013; RN-026
• 460/3/60 – RM-006; RM-007; RM-013; RM-015; RM-016; RN-026; RN-031

Stay tuned for more offerings as Copeland rolls out their R-401A digital scrolls!

HCFC Phaseout Timeline

It's Fall of 2007: Do you know when your HCFC phaseouts are?

In 1989, the United States entered into a international treaty agreement to limit the production of ozone depleting substances as originally agreed to in the Montreal Protocol. This treaty was an effort to curb and hopefully reverse the observed ozone depletion in the upper atmosphere.

As most in the HVAC field are aware, however, this means that many of the traditional refrigerants we are used to using have either been or will soon be phased out of production. All CFC's are currently phased out, but HCFC's are soon to leave the market, too. The two major HCFC's in use today are R-123 and R-22. R-22, additionally, has been accelerated in its phase-out schedule beyond the original Montreal agreement. The schedule can be found on the EPA webpage, but to summarize, all R-22 is scheduled to be phased out for new equipment in 2010, and all other HCFC's, including R-123, are scheduled to be phased out of new equipment by 2015. No production or importation for these products, for any use, will be allowed after 2020 and 2030, respectively

The R-22 phaseout schedule is depicted below:

(click for larger image)

Why should you be concerned about what refrigerant you specify today? You should be able to get R-22 for the next 13 years for replacement in existing equipment, and the next 23 years for R-123. So why worry?

Perhaps the main issue is less about the refrigerant itself, and more about the refrigeration components. For example, once the phaseout date for new products hits, compressor manufacturers are unlikely to continue making compressors to operate on the phased-out refrigerants. Thus, while R-22 may be available, the replacement compressor for an R-22 system may not. It just is not cost-effective for these manufacturers to keep production lines in operation building an obsolete product.

One manufacturer's projection of the R-22/R-407c/R-410A market share picture is described in the following graph:

(click for larger image)

You can see that by 2008, R-22 is expected to be about 60% of the market, and then precipitously drop off to 0% by 2010. R-407c is expected to follow R-22, as the HFC R-410a takes over the market. And a similar picture exists for R-123, with already three of the four major chiller manufacturers in the US having phased out this refrigerant in favor of R-134a--and European markets already closed to R-123.

The dual concern of parts and refrigerant availability should be considered when choosing a refrigerant for your project. This article from FacilitiesNet discusses the overall trends of the industry and summarizes the effect of the Montreal accords. It raises special concerns about R-123's future availability:

Though other HCFCs are in the mix, this policy proposal raises questions about the availability of R-123 in coming years. Since R-123 has been used in only one type of equipment — centrifugal chillers — and historically has been produced by two manufacturers — and only one manufacturer currently — the certain availability of this refrigerant in the near future comes into question.

Refrigerant choice impacts the cost of ownership of the capital investment in a facility. Be aware of the impacts of that choice up front, to maximize the economic benefit of your cooling system.

Updated: Sept. 12:

HPAC Engineering has just published an article entitled 20 Years of the Montreal Protocol.

Timely, Huh?