INSTALLED BANK OF REFRIGERANT

Transcription

1 Recovered Refrigerant Management The Installed Bank as a Transitioning Resource Bangkok Technology Conference June 2013 Michael Bennett

2 Ozone Depletion and Climate Change 2

3 Refrigerant Flow DESTRUCTION NEW SPECIFICATION REFRIGERANT RECLAMATION RECOVERED REFRIGERANT R E Y C L E R E C O V E R E M I S S I O N INSTALLED BANK OF REFRIGERANT 3

4 How Big Is The Bank Consumption of new refrigerant: Manufacture + Imports Exports Size of refrigerant bank approximately 5 x consumption A country with consumption of 400 tonnes of refrigerant will have an installed bank in the order of 2,000 tonnes Much of the installed bank can become available for recycling and reuse Every kilogram reused is one that need not be manufactured or imported 4

5 The Bank is a Resource It is a buffer that provides elasticity in the supply of refrigerant for industry It can extend the life of installed plant Postpone capital expenditure Option to wait for newer technology Maintain original performance It is available to all industry operators with requisite skills and equipment Available to be recovered during service when reuse is common Large opportunity at end-of-life that is now being taken advantage of in many countries 5

6 Industry Profile # Companies Employees

7 Profile of Refrigerant Use 80% 120 refrigerant use by 100 small number of 80 larger contractors # Companies Employees

8 Policy and Regulations The lowest cost refrigerant you can use should be the one you already own It would reasonable for new refrigerant to have a higher cost than recovered refrigerant but this is not universally the case Governments and industry may implement policies that provide realistic pricing of new refrigerant Levies and duties can elevate the cost and provide revenue Import restrictions provide the ability to require licences and impose conditions such as end-of-life management Recovery, reuse and disposal should be standard industry procedure 8

9 Program Funding Whether managed by government or industry regulations, and recovery and disposal programs require funding Regulations require implementation, reporting and enforcement Programs require establishment, management, promotion The workforce requires education and training Initial capital may be required for recycling, reclamation and destruction facilities Local industry will invest if the regulatory mix is right 9

10 Key Components and Processes Testing Recovery Recycling Cylinders Storage Reuse Alternatives Disposal 10

11 On Site Decision Will the system continue to remain in operation Test refrigerant If yes and quality acceptable recover and recycle into pump down cylinder then reinstall after service If no and quality acceptable recover and recycle into storage cylinder If quality unacceptable recover into a disposal cylinder 11

12 Testing Various types of refrigerant identifiers/analysers Simplest and cheapest identifies R22 with a pass/fail function set at 95% purity Next unit identifies R12, R134a, R22, and hydrocarbons, has a printer option Current best available unit will identify most refrigerants and blends 12

13 Testing If refrigerant is not tested its quality cannot be known Problems caused by impure and contaminated refrigerant are many and may include: Poor performance Higher power consumption Higher maintenance costs System failure In Australia refrigerant may be removed from a system and reinstalled without meeting new specification If the refrigerant is to installed elsewhere or sold it must meet new specification but this requirement is not enforced The very high cost of refrigerant in Australia has led to the increased recycling and reuse of refrigerant and high sales of refrigerant analysers 13

14 Recovery and Recycling Recovery units that handle most refrigerants have become relatively inexpensive Compact units weigh around 15 kgs so are very portable (gas cylinder extra) Recovery units that also recycle cost about 30% more and will remove oil, moisture, and particulates to varying degrees Recovery/recycle machines do not remove or separate other refrigerants but do provide a cleaner reusable product 14

15 Cylinders There are various types of gas cylinders required Pump down cylinders these are clean cylinders used for holding refrigerant from a system while it is being repaired or serviced Recovery cylinders for reusable refrigerant these are clean cylinders used to store reusable/recycled refrigerant Recovery cylinders for unusable/contaminated refrigerant these cylinders are used to store and transport refrigerant that cannot be reused this refrigerant and that will be sent for destruction 15

16 Cylinders What is meant by clean? Internally clean no other refrigerants or contaminants pump down cylinders may be devalved and steam cleaned after each use but OK to reuse if same refrigerant type and quality known Where can cylinders be obtained? Bought from various suppliers and there are many international manufacturers Sizes vary but 22 litreand 65 litrecapacity tyical Hired from refrigerant and industrial gases suppliers 16

17 Storage If not reused immediately in the same system recovered reusable refrigerant may be stored for later use Once contained in an appropriate cylinder reusable refrigerant may be stored indefinitely Cylinders should be stored undercover out of direct sunlight to prevent overheating Regular leak testing should be undertaken to ensure the integrity of the cylinder and valve 17

18 Reuse Recovered refrigerant that meets acceptable specifications may be reused successfully The Australian requirement for purity for all refrigerant sold is the internationally accepted standard for new refrigerant AHRI 700. This standard requires all refrigerant to have a minimum purity of 99.5% For recovered refrigerant this level of purity is almost impossible to obtain without the use of large and expensive reclamation equipment Whilst we would never recommend the use of refrigerant with lower purity many of the systems operating in Australia will contain such refrigerant 18

19 Alternatives and Retrofitting Reuse of existing refrigerant may not always be the best option It may be better to replace old inefficient plant Retrofitting may provide for improved performance and efficiency leading to lower costs and lower indirect emissions Numerous alternatives for R22 have already been commercialised for various applications R417A R422A B C D R427A R434A 19

20 Disposal Numerous technologies available HTI Plasma Arc Thermal Oxidation Some technologies are relocatable Many destruction plants installed and operating Indonesia Japan China Europe USA Australia 20

21 KhobKhun KhunKrab Krab Thank you very much 21