On January 1, 2020 entered into force Article 13(3) of the European Regulation F-GAS 517/2014 concerning the control of the use for servicing or performing maintenance of refrigeration equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-GHGs) with a global warming potential equal to or greater than 2500 (GWP ≥ 2500).
Paragraph 3 of Article 13 regarding control of use states:
The use of GFEI with a GWP ≥ 2500, for servicing or performing maintenance on refrigeration appliances with a charge size of 40 tonsCO2 equivalent or more, will be prohibited as of January 1, 2020.
This paragraph shall not apply to:
- Military equipment.
- Equipment for cooling products at temperatures of < – 50 °C.
- Until January 1, 2030, the prohibition referred to in the first paragraph shall not apply to the following two categories of GFEI:
(a) reclaimed GFEI (*), with a GWP ≥ 2500, used for the maintenance or servicing of existing refrigeration appliances, provided that such gases have been labeled in accordance with Article 12(6).
b) recycled GFEI, with a GWP ≥ 2500, used for the maintenance or servicing of existing refrigeration equipment, provided that such gases have been recovered from such equipment. These recycled gases may only be used by the company that performed the recovery as part of the maintenance or overhaul, or by the company for which the recovery was performed as part of the maintenance or overhaul.
The prohibition referred to in the first subparagraph shall not apply to refrigeration appliances for which an exemption has been granted in accordance with Article 11(3).
IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION
:
It will be permitted as of January 1, 2020 to use GFEI with a GWP ≥ 2500, to service or service refrigeration appliances with a charge size of less than 40 tonsCO2 equivalent.
Below are some examples of GFEI load in kg of refrigeration equipment corresponding to 40 Tn ofCO2 equivalent:
Examples:
- Refrigeration unit with a charge of 10 kg of R-404A:
The use of virgin R-404A will be allowed for the maintenance of the equipment as the load of 10 kg is lower than the maximum allowable load of 10.2 kg.
- Refrigeration unit with a charge of 50 kg of R507A:
The use of virgin R-507A will NOT be allowed for equipment maintenance as the 50 kg load is equal to or greater than the maximum allowable load of 10.04 kg.
In this case, we have the following possibilities for maintenance:
- Replace the R-507A refrigerant gas (retrofit) with a direct “drop-in” substitute. We recommend:
a. R-442A (RS-50), which provides the highest cooling capacity and COP in the market (lower TEWI).
b. R-470B (RS-51) which is the non-flammable substitute with A1 safety classification, with the lowest GWP and taxes on the market (746 and 11.13 €/kg respectively).
2. Use R-507A regenerated (*) by an authorized waste manager such as Gas Servei.
