China to receive $385m to eliminate HCFCs

CHINA: Up to $385m is to be given to China to end its production of R22 refrigerant.

The money from the Montreal Protocol's Multilateral Fund is designed to help ensure the entire elimination of China's industrial production of ozone depleting substances by the 2030.

China has agreed to retire its current HCFC production capacity and will also retire surplus production capacity that is currently not utilized.

According to the Chinese, the total amount of HCFCs to be eliminated will prevent the emission of over 4,300,000 tonnes of HCFCs, equal to 300,000 tonnes in terms of its ozone depletion potential, and 8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.

With China being the largest producer and consumer of HCFCs, this is potentially the largest project approved so far under the Multilateral Fund since its inception.

China will close and dismantle its production lines producing only HCFCs for uses controlled under the Montreal Protocol and ensure that any HCFC plants that will receive funding do not switch to producing HCFCs as industrial feedstock, a use not controlled by the Montreal Protocol. China will also coordinate with stakeholders and make best efforts to manage HCFC production and associated by-product production in HCFC plants in accordance with best practices to minimize associated climate impacts.

Over the next four years China will receive US $95m to cover the first stage of its HCFC production phase-out management plan (HPPMP) to assist the country to meet the freeze in HCFC production by 2013 and the reduction by 10% by 2015 as required by the Montreal Protocol's HCFC phase-out programme.

The latest data shows that China produces 92% of the total HCFC production of developing countries.

While the announcement was welcomed by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), there are concerns to ensure that HFC23, a hugely damaging by-product of production, is also destroyed.

EIA is calling on China to formally pledge to destroy the HFC23 from all Chinese HCFC production facilities, including facilities which produce HCFC for feedstock.

"Elimination of China's production of HCFCs over the next 17 years is a great win for the environment," said Mark W Roberts, EIA's senior Policy advisor. "However, it will be a hollow victory unless China adopts measures to prevent HFC23 from being vented into the atmosphere."

   

The Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants

CO2 Projects on the Rise

By Peter Powell

 

No technology has been generating more attention in recent months than the use of R-744 (CO2) as a refrigerant. Throughout 2012, The NEWS and its exclusive refrigeration e-newsletter, FROSTlines, will publish reports and case histories on how R-744 is being used worldwide. Here are some of the latest announcements from a variety of sources.

 

Online Information

Danfoss has launched an online information portal that discusses CO2 as a refrigerant. It explains why the company considers CO2 among the most attractive refrigerants in industrial refrigeration and food retail applications and what kind of efficiency, safety, and environmental advantages can be achieved when using CO2 systems.

According to a report in the online publication R744.com, “There are a list of myths and assumptions as regards the use of CO2 as refrigerant that are only partly true or simply outdated. As a leading provider of solutions also for CO2 systems, Danish-based Danfoss has collected all these possibly misleading assumptions about CO2 to explain them in a comprehensible way. Myths such as the safety, efficiency, or costs of CO2 systems are discussed or overruled by case studies that prove the opposite.”

Heat Pumps

The South Korean companies Samsung and LG received government funding to develop CO2 heat pump water heaters. Samsung Electronics developed the prototype of the CO2 heat pump water heater, the Eco Cute, under the South Korean government’s project to support technological development of domestic companies. Samsung was subsequently chosen to develop medium- to large-size commercial CO2 heat pump water heaters, and LG Electronics was selected to develop smaller-sized residential units.

Transcritical in London

Harrods, the London department store, has installed a CO2 transcritical refrigeration system in its food hall. The existing HCFC-22 and HFC-404A refrigeration systems cooling the cold rooms and food cases have been replaced with a CO2 plant room using parallel compression technology. The plant room houses three HT/LT transcritical CO2 systems, each delivering 160 kW of cooling.

Transcritical Report

At the ATMOsphere Europe 2011 conference, Christoph Brouwers and Lothar Serwas from Carrier Commercial Refrigeration reported on the use of CO2 in direct expansion systems (DX).

They presented a case study from 2010 based on Carrier’s installation of approximately 150 stores with CO2OLtec™ transcritical systems in operation. These stores gained 18.5 MW of medium temperature refrigeration capacity. It was stated that the energy performance of these systems was mainly attractive at average annual temperatures of up to +15˚C.

Carrier also presented a study during the Chillventa 2010 Congress, maintaining that up to 19˚C, CO2 refrigeration systems would outperform other refrigerants. The same study concluded that CO2 systems would perform slightly better than other refrigerants between 20 and 26˚C.

In October 2011, Carrier put CO2OLtec TM direct expansion (DX) systems in some 300 stores. The systems offer 33 MW medium temperature refrigeration capacity with estimated emissions savings of 77,600 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions.

The report said, “Carrier is now working on overcoming the commonly referred to ‘CO2 equator’ which goes through Southern Europe along the northern shore of the Mediterranean, defining the efficiency limit CO2 systems compared to traditional HFC systems when assessed on a yearly average ambient temperature basis of maximum 15˚C.”

Oil Separator

The online publication R477.com reported that U.S.-based Temprite launched an addition to its 130 Series of coalescent oil separators for transcritical CO2 applications. The new 139A model is designed for high efficiency in larger R-744 refrigeration systems.

“The Temprite 130 Series is optimized for CO2 transcritical refrigeration applications and builds on the previous success of Temprite’s 920 and 920R Series coalescent oil separators, both extensively used in subcritical applications for many years,” the report said.

“The 130 Series utilizes the most efficient oil-refrigerant filtering/separation technology available. An efficient oil-gas separation technology becomes both more important and challenging when using CO2, as the refrigerant has a higher density than conventional refrigerants.

“Ambient outdoor temperature can also be troublesome for CO2 systems. Now, the manufacturer has developed the new 139A separator to bring maximum thermal efficiency especially to large CO2 refrigeration systems. With twice the separation capacity of the Model 137A, large-rack refrigeration users may find that one 139A will replace two 137A oil separators.”

Booster Compressor

In the Brazilian publication Engenharia e Arquitetura, Bitzer engineer Alessandro da Silva explained how working with very low evaporation temperatures multi-stage compression, such as in booster systems, can help to avoid high compression rates that can compromise compressor volumetric efficiency.

The report said, “The booster compressor is a single-stage compressor operating at the low-pressure stage of the cooling system with its discharge connected to the suction side of the high-pressure compressor. The two external pressure levels of the compressor system enable it to deliver refrigerated air to all refrigeration points in a system at the required temperatures. Booster systems can substantially reduce the rate of compression resulting in longer life of compressors and lower power consumption and are one of the most suitable systems for low temperatures. Booster systems can avoid some of the problems associated with single-stage compression systems.

“CO2 racks that include a booster system have compressor valve plates designed to ensure high rates of mass flow. The motors installed in the semi-hermetic CO2 compressors are larger than those in HCFC-22, HFC-404A, or HFC-507 systems, due to the need for greater capacity cooling.” However, the CO2 compressors are physically much smaller when compared with those for the previously mentioned f-gas systems.

EPA Approves Latest Refrigerant Substitutes

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last month added three hydrocarbons as acceptable alternatives in household and small commercial refrigerators and freezers through the agency’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program.

By Anne Vazquez, on January 13, 2012, at 11:18 am

The three substitutes, for use in small commercial and refrigerators and freezers (and their household counterparts), mark the first time hydrocarbon replacements might be widely used in the U.S. The refrigerants approved as acceptable substitutes, with use conditions, are propane, isobutane, and a chemical known as R-441A.

EPA took action after requests from Ben and Jerry’s and General Electric, as well as A.S. Trust & Holdings, and True Manufacturing, a family owned small business. SNAP is globally recognized as the only program designed specifically to evaluate substitutes for ODS and to focus on the industrial sectors that use them.

“[This] is a great example of how businesses and EPA can work together to protect our planet and drive innovation,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. “This action increases the options for effective, climate friendly refrigerants in the U.S.”

Under the Clean Air Act, the SNAP program evaluates substitute chemicals and technologies for ozone depleting substances (ODS). The newly approved refrigerants (propane, isobutane, and R-441A) can be used to replace ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-12 and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-22 in household refrigerators, freezers, combination refrigerator-freezers, and commercial standalone units.

Replacing older refrigerants will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 600,000 metric tons by 2020, equal to the emissions from the annual electricity use of nearly 75,000 homes, and will help protect people’s health and the environment.

At the recent 23rd Meeting of the Montreal Protocol Parties, EPA and the U.S. Department of State announced that 108 countries signed a declaration to address hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). While HFCs are ODS substitutes, they are increasingly contributing to climate change. The approval of hydrocarbons in the U.S. is significant because hydrocarbons are more environmentally friendly substitutes than HFCs.

Refrigerant producers publish HFC 'Phase-down' position

16 November 2011 | By Julian Milnes

HFC producers support action under the Montreal Protocol for a consumption cap and reduction of HFCs

The European Fluorocarbons Technical Committee (EFCTC), a sector group of the European Chemical Industry Association (CEFIC), has published its position on the subject of HFC reduction.

In a statement it said: “We are encouraging Parties to the Montreal Protocol to move forward with a constructive dialogue to achieve an agreement for a global cap and reduction for HFC consumption on a GWP-weighted basis.

We recognise the important role played by the Montreal Protocol in successfully controlling consumption of CFCs and HCFCs and acknowledge that this could provide the necessary expertise to effectively implement a similar system for HFCs. We believe that including provisions of controlling the placing on the market of HFCs under the Montreal Protocol would complement and strengthen the HFC emissions provisions of the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol.

It is estimated that the overall global warming impact of HFC emissions worldwide currently represents less than 2 per cent of the total global greenhouse gases emissions. while HFCs are the preferred solution for many societal needs because of their safety and performance advantages, without action the demand for HFCs will grow due to the replacement of HCFCs as well as the increasing demand for refrigeration and air conditioning, especially in developing countries. Such growth would result in HFCs becoming a more significant potential source of emissions in the future.

Encouraging progress is being made by HFC producers to find low GWP alternatives for a range of applications including aerosols, mobile air-conditioning, insulating foams and commercial refrigeration. Already an alternative fluid has been developed for mobile air-conditioning; it has a GWP of about 4 compared to a GWP of 1430 for the HFC currently being used. A clear long-term regulatory framework and time frame are needed for research and development to progress at the necessary speed and for manufacturers of equipment and products to undertake the necessary programs to adopt these and other lower GWP alternatives.

The proposals submitted by North America and Micronesia for a cap and reduction of HFC consumption on a GWP-weighted basis, in our opinion form a good initial framework for a dialogue, recognizing that any final agreement needs to be realistic.

balanced and flexible, and fair, meeting the needs of Parties, and taking into account industrial planning timescales and the capacity of industry to invest in new lower GWP products and applications.

We consider that any final agreement should focus on consumption, which determines use leading to reduced emissions. On this basis, legislative control of production is not necessary as the consumption cap will maintain the required high level of environmental ambition. Furthermore, there should also be a requirement for production reporting from 2015.

We believe that this approach will allow HFCs to be used for their safety and performance where appropriate, encourage innovation for the use of lower GWP alternatives and applications, but without significant disruption to the industries that use HFCs.

Climate Crisis - The 21 Gigatonne Time Bomb (Nature Inc)

THE 21 GIGATONNE TIMEBOMB: Broadcast in May 2011 on BBC World News to 300 million homes this programme explores the much-neglected issue of what to do about the super-greenhouse gases?

Under the 1987 Montreal Protocol, CFCs and other so-called ozone-depleting chemicals are outlawed, but their Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) replacements – while harmless to the ozone layer – are powerful greenhouse agents.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change fully one fifth of the greenhouse effect by midcentury will be ascribed to these ozone-friendly but "super greenhouse gases" used in refrigeration and air conditioning.

There are alternatives – principally hydrocarbons - commercially available now (but also ammonia, carbon dioxide and water), but in some countries, they are considered a fire hazard, and are restricted. Many countries allow their usage provided safety standards are followed.

Meanwhile companies such as Dupont are developing a new generation of refrigerants, such as R-1234yf, that they claim have an minimal impact on climate change and are only "mildly flammable" (overlooking extremely toxic combustion byproducts including the lethal hydrogen fluoride).

But they are not yet commercially available, and will be far more expensive than hydrocarbons and high GWP HFCs when they come to market. Different countries have different stances on how to deal with HFC issue. This documentary examines this interesting story from different perspectives.      

http://vimeo.com/23345397    

Some Replacements for CFC-Containing Refrigerants Much More Potent GHGs than CO2

• Aug 03, 2011

While international climate talks remain deadlocked, the Montreal Protocol has been methodically eliminating some of the worst chemicals contributing to global warming.

International ozone negotiators meeting in Montreal last week approved country plans to phase out ozone depleting substances (ODS) that are also super greenhouse gases (GHGs) that harm the global climate. By 2015, the reductions approved last week will prevent more than 62 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emissions.

From 25-29 July, negotiators at the Multilateral Fund, the financial body established to assist developing countries to meet their commitments under the Montreal Protocol, assessed ODS phase-out plans submitted by dozens of countries including China, Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico.

Countries converting from ODS traditionally have chosen to convert to high-GWP hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), chemicals that do not harm the ozone layer but that are super-greenhouse gasses with global warming potentials (GWPs) hundreds to thousand of times greater than CO2. Developed countries that have already phased out ODS have switched to high-GWP alternatives in about 75 percent of instances. However at last week's meeting, many phase-out plans that proposed to convert to HFC-410A and other high-GWP alternatives were either revised or rejected.

"The rejection of phase-out plans that proposed the use high-GWP alternatives signals that the Montreal Protocol is committed to protecting climate," said Mark W. Roberts, international policy adviser to the EIA, who attended the meeting. He added, "The world is finally recognizing that there's simply no reason to fund transitions to super greenhouse gases when environmentally responsible alternatives are available."

While the majority of conversions were from HCFCs to low-GWP alternatives, several plans were approved that will "phase-in" high-GWP HFCs in refrigeration and air conditioning, primarily as a result of funding constraints that are limiting complete adoption of climate-friendly alternatives. HFC-410A, which is 1,890 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than CO2, was approved for use in air conditioning in China, Mexico and Lebanon. These conversions will negate millions of tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions reductions and lock these countries into climate-damaging technologies for decades.

"The decisions being made are a signal to all countries that HFCs are a dead-end technology and that enormous climate benefits are available through the Montreal Protocol's HCFC phase-out,” said Clare Perry, senior campaigner at EIA. "An even greater climate payoff could be achieved by slightly increasing the Multilateral Fund's budget so that HFCs are not unnecessarily phased in," she said.

A second meeting of the Montreal Protocol's began yesterday to discuss wider issues including the next tranche of funding available for the HCFC phase-out, as well as proposals to begin a phase-out of HFCs.