F Gases are fluorinated products which include HFC refrigerants, for example R134a, R407C, R410A and other blends. They have a high global warming potential and users or owners of Chillers and Air Conditioning systems as well as service and maintenance company’s have a serious role to play in the reduction of F Gas emissions.
Packaged chillers and Air Conditioning systems have historically leaked refrigerant and currently 60% – 70% of all refrigerant currently used is for service and maintenance. The F Gas regulations are being implemented to reduce this major impact on the environment.
F Gas legislation came into force in July 2006 but the majority of measures will come into effect on the 4th July 2007 and applies to all static refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. There will be a review of the legislation in 2010 to ensure that refrigerant containment is working.
The legislation does not ban the use of HFC’s, instead the key aspects of F Gas legislation are secure refrigerant containment, documented leak inspection regimes, record keeping, auditable refrigerant recovery, skill training and the appropriate certification of refrigeration and air conditioning company’s and their employees.
Much of the responsibility for conformance is on the owner of the equipment but the majority of the work required to comply with the legislation will be carried out by a contractor. Both parties will need to work closely together and it will be important for owners to understand how the F Gas legislation applies to them before July 2007 and above all, understand that appropriate procedures must be implemented to prevent F Gas leaks.
Service and maintenance must be carried out only by those adequately trained in safe refrigerant handling and leak testing techniques and any refrigerants safely recovered properly disposed of.
The leak testing regime calls for all chillers or air conditioning systems with a refrigerant charge of 3kG to 29kG to be leak tested annually, from 30kG to 299kG every 6 months and over 300kG every 3 months. Additionally, those of 300kG and greater must be fitted with an automatic leak detection device.
Any refrigerant leak found and repaired during service and maintenance, or as the result of an automatic detection, must be rechecked with the appropriate leak detection equipment by a suitably qualified engineer within 1 month of the repair.
Each chiller or air conditioning system having a refrigerant charge in excess of 3kG, or 6kG in the case of those with hermetic compressors, must have an accompanying log book, kept available for inspection, which will detail the date of any repairs and the company executing them, the exact nature of any work carried out, refrigerants used and refrigerants recovered and taken away.
The minimum qualification for safe refrigerant handling and leak detection is the City and Guilds Certificate in Handling Refrigerants Scheme 2078 or the Construction Industry Training Board Safe Handling of Refrigerants Reference 206710.
It is a duty of care of owners and operators of water chillers and air conditioning systems falling within the criteria of the F Gas Legislation, that only those with such qualification are permitted to undertake service and maintenance on this type of equipment.
Coolmations service engineers are qualified to City & Guilds 2078 and Coolmation Service Ltd is a Refcom Certified company.
Refcom Certification provides that companies are:
· registered as carriers of hazardous waste
· possess recognised certification in competency to handle refrigerants
· conform with all current legal requirements
· operate auditable procedures for the proper control of refrigerants
· use purpose designed refrigerant recovery equipment
· can account for all refrigerant used and recovered
· are environmentally aware and perform refrigerant transactions with minimum transmissions.
The F Gas Legislation is an EU one, but individual member countries will be responsible for setting their own penalties. The Uk Government is expected to release a consultation document in March 2007 which will contain their proposals.
