CFC Alternatives

Users have three viable options for CFC replacement in vapor compression systems. They are, HCFC 123 for low pressure systems, HFC-134a for medium pressure systems and HCFC 22 for high pressure systems. All can be safely and effectively applied, especially when installed in accordance with the ASHRAE standard 15 and operated under the EPA service guideline. Du Pont has stated they believe the industry norm is likely to be somewhere in the range of 30 percent of the systems out there will be excellent candidates for retrofit.

At the end of 1995, the CFC manufacturing ceased and some supply disruptions have occurred. Refrigerant 123 is manufactured by several manufacturers with plants either operating or under construction. Refrigerant 123 now costs much less than R-11. Thousands of new or retrofitted units are now in operation around the world, some for as long as 8 years. R-134a is being produced in plants around the world. Its cost is now below CFC-12 . Over 1,000 systems are in operation globally. Finally, R-22 remains the lowest cost and most widely used refrigerant in the world and a lot of systems are designed to be operated on it and a lot of new technology has been developed around it. The time to plan is now. The clock is running and we are in the eleventh hour. There are choices available to you for the elimination of CFCs.

Environmentally Acceptable Refrigerants Are Now Available

Alternative refrigerants have been developed that can replace CFC refrigerants with only slight changes in equipment design and minimal effects on efficiency. The current principle refrigerant substitutes are shown in the following table. Several types of blends are being investigated in order to optimize performance while providing zero ozone depletion potential.