Hydrocarbon Refrigerants – A Study Guide for Service Technicians from RSES has been developed to assist the refrigeration technician in understanding the requirements to safely maintain and service systems that utilize flammable refrigerants.
My column in the Nov. 12 issue of The NEWS focused on HFCs, especially low GWP HFCs as retrofits for R-22 systems. This column will focus on what I used to call “beyond HFC” refrigerants, although these days, the term might be “other than HFC” refrigerants.
A major concern in our industry today is the careless promotion of hydrocarbons, or hydrocarbon-based blends, as drop-in refrigerants. Even though HC’s do have many positive attributes, in their pure state they are classified A3, and therefore if misapplied can be very dangerous to use.
The Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) recently launched its annual consumer awareness campaign on the hazards of mass marketers and retailers in Canada promoting hydrocarbon refrigerant do-it-yourself (DIY) kits.
Now that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the use of three hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerants in some smaller appliance applications, advocates of HCs are continuing to promote use in larger equipment, with commercial ice machines as well as reach-in/walk-in freezers and coolers possibly next in line.
Now that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has greenlighted the use of a number of hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerants in certain refrigeration applications, many in the industry have questions about these refrigerants and their potential uses.