Adopting low-Global Warming Potential (GWP) Refrigerants in Industrial Refrigeration, Heating and Energy Solutions
The existential threat of global warming, and growing pressure to run sustainable operations, means businesses must look at every opportunity to reduce the production of man-made greenhouse gases (GHGs). This issue is especially urgent for owners of refrigeration systems and heat pumps in buildings, industrial facilities, utility installations and any equipment that uses refrigerants.
While much of today’s discussion tends to revolve around carbon emissions, in the industrial refrigeration, heating and energy sector, the management of refrigerants that have high GWP is an important challenge. Industrial equipment typically has a refrigerant leakage rate of around 1% per year.
Yet selecting the right refrigerant requires careful consideration of the pros and cons – a delicate balance between environmental impact, performance, health & safety as well as lifecycle cost. Asset owners must also consider future restrictions or bans on certain types of refrigerants.
Businesses that are heavy users of refrigeration systems and heat pumps are assessing whether their current choice of refrigerant represents the most sustainable long-term choice.
The European Union (EU) plans to introduce legislation to limit emissions caused by F-gases, which may result in F-gas shortages and price rises in future. Businesses that are considering adopting natural refrigerants to avoid these potential challenges should consider the strengths and weaknesses of both natural and synthetic refrigerants.
In particular, they should carefully assess any trade-offs between the Global Warming Potential (GWP) and the health & safety impact of their preferred type of refrigerant, especially in areas like flammability and toxicity.
However, businesses that put the right health & safety systems in place can take the natural refrigerant approach with complete confidence to meet their environmental, performance, regulatory and lifecycle cost objectives.
Read the whitepaper to learn more and visit our Industrial Refrigeration page for Europe, Middle East and Africa to discover our sustainable cooling and heating solutions.