Workshop on

Low GWP Alternative Refrigerants

27th January 2016

Session 6

Session 6
Session

Start

Finish

Review of day 1 / Q&A

9:00

9:15

Regulations and safety standards when working

with alternative refrigerants

9:15

10:15

Revised Code of Practice in Moldova

10:15

11:15

Break
Measuring the financial and environmental impact
of leakage
Tools and guidance for conducting site surveys

11:15

11:30

11:30

12:00

12:00

12:30

Lunch

12:30

13:30

Introduction to exercise

13:30

13:45

Exercise in groups of 4/5 (including break)

13:45

15:15

Group presentations

15:15

16:45

Review and discussion

16:45

17:45

Close

17:45

17:45

Key Standards, Regulations and

Directives
EN378 - "Refrigerating systems and heat pumps
Safety and environmental requirement"
This is the primary horizontal European standard that
covers the fundamental principles, concepts, terminology
and technical characteristics or RAC systems is. It
specifies the requirements relating to safety of persons
and property (but not goods in storage) and the local and
global environment for:
stationary and mobile refrigerating systems of all sizes,
including heat pumps;
secondary cooling or heating systems;
location of these refrigerating systems

Key Standards, Regulations and

Directives
EN378 - "Refrigerating systems and heat pumps Safety and environmental
requirement
Guidance (relevant to
Document
Title
alternative refrigerants)
Refrigerating systems and heat
pumps - Safety and
EN378
environmental requirements,
Refrigerant practical limit
1:2008
Basic requirements, definitions,
Maximum charge sizes
A2:2012
classification and selection
criteria
Refrigerating systems and heat
EN378
pumps Safety and
High pressure protection
2:2008
environmental requirements,
Ventilated enclosures
A2:2012
Design, construction, testing,
marking and documentation
Refrigerating systems and heat
pumps Safety and
EN378
Requirements for machinery
environmental requirements,
3:2008
rooms Refrigerant detectors
Installation site and personal
protection
Refrigerating systems and heat
Repairs to systems using
EN378
pumps Safety and
flammable refrigerants
4:2008
environmental requirements,
Competence of personnel
A2:2012
Operation, maintenance, repair
working on systems using
and recovery
flammable refrigerants

EN378 - "Refrigerating systems and heat pumps

Safety and environmental requirement

Key Standards, Regulations and

Directives
ISO817 Refrigerants Designation and safety classification
This international standard provides an unambiguous system for numbering
refrigerants and classification of flammability.
Pressure Equipment Directive 97/23/EC
The Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) is a European directive that sets out the
standards for the design, testing and fabrication of pressure equipment generally
over one litre in volume and having a maximum pressure more than 0.5 bar gauge
(such as refrigeration systems). It also sets the administrative requirements for the
"conformity assessment" of pressure equipment, for the free placing on the
European market without local legislative barriers. It has been mandatory throughout
the EU since 30 May 2002. R717, R32, R1234ze and the hydrocarbon refrigerants are
classified as group 1fluids. R744 is a group 2 fluid.
Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR) 2000
The PSSR applies to systems with a total installed power exceeding 25kW. A written
scheme of examination is required which in effect means that liquid receivers and
pressure relief devices should be checked every five years by a competent person.

Flammable Refrigerant Legislation

There are additional regulations and standards which cover the design of flammable
refrigerant systems and components.
ATEX
ATEX is the name commonly given to the legal requirements for controlling explosive
atmospheres and the suitability of equipment and protective systems used in them.
ATEX 95 (94/9/EC) covers the design of equipment and protective systems intended
for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.
ATEX 137 (99/92/EC) covers the minimum requirements for improving the safety and
health protection of workers potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres. It
applies, for example, to service engineers working on HC systems.
EN378 is not harmonised with the ATEX directive and it does not specify that ATEX
applies, but it does reference ATEX harmonised standards such as EN60079. System
designers and manufacturers should follow ATEX to assess whether the risk of an
explosive atmosphere can occur.

Safety Regulations
Dangerous substances can put peoples' safety at risk from fire and explosion. National
Regulations put duties on employers and the selfemployed to protect people from risks
to their safety from fires, explosions and similar events in the workplace, this includes
members of the public who may be put at risk by work activity. Employers /operators
must:
find out what dangerous substances are in their workplace and what the fire and
explosion risks are;
put control measures in place to either remove those risks or, where this is not
possible, control them;
put controls in place to reduce the effects of any incidents involving dangerous
substances;
prepare plans and procedures to deal with accidents, incidents and emergencies
involving dangerous substances;
make sure employees are properly informed about and trained to control or deal with
the risks from the dangerous substances;
identify and classify areas of the workplace where explosive atmospheres may occur
and avoid ignition sources (from unprotected equipment, for example) in those areas.

Other Regulations
See
Handout

Fluorinated Gases Regulations

The EU has introduced a new regulation on the use of
fluorinated greenhouse gases (F gases) including:
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and
sulphur hexaflouride (SF6).
The regulation replaces EU517/2014 came into force on 1st
January 2015 the replaces EC 842/2006. It impacts anyone
who:
manufactures, uses or services equipment that contains F
gases, like refrigeration and air conditioning systems, solvents
or aerosols produces or wholesales F gas
imports or exports F gas, or equipment containing F gas, to or
from the EU

Fluorinated Gases Regulations

Area
Leak
Checks
Recovery
Record
Keeping

Requirements
Regular checks for leakage; use of automatic leak detection on large
systems.
Refrigerant recovery during plant servicing and maintenance and at end of
life.
Appropriate records kept for equipment containing 3 kg or more of F gases.
Use of personnel with appropriate qualifications.
Company Certification required for all companies employing personnel to
undertake work on equipment containing or designed to contain F gases
(includes sole traders).

Training
and
Certificatio
n

Companies taking delivery of F gases need to employ personnel with

appropriate qualifications if undertaking leak checking, gas recovery, plant
installation, maintenance, or servicing.
Refrigerant in cylinders can only be supplied to companies or individuals
who hold F Gas Certification.

Other

Information to be made available on Alternatives to high GWP HFC

technologies.
Certain other actions including labelling of new equipment and a schedule
for the phase down of supply of HFC refrigerants in Europe.

Fluorinated Gases Regulations

In EU517/2014 the requirement for leak testing existing systems is
based on the charge size in tonnes of CO 2 equivalent.
The GWP of single substance refrigerants is provided in an Annex
1 to EU 517 / 2014 and for blended refrigerants it must be
calculated from the GWP of the individual components.
The operator is responsible for stopping leaks from their
equipment.
Contractors that install maintain or dispose of equipment share
responsibility for trying to stop leaks with the operators of
equipment.
Operators must check (or employ contractors to check) all
equipment for leaks.
For equipment that containsF gasabove certain thresholds, leak
checks must be carried out at specific intervals.

Fluorinated Gases Regulations

The thresholds at which leak check intervals are specified
are expressed in terms of CO2equivalent
The thresholds at which leak check intervals are specified
are expressed in terms of CO2equivalent.
They take into account both the quantity ofF gasin the
equipment and the global warming potential of theF
gas(how much theF-gas contributes to global warming).
This table sets out the:
F gasthresholds, in tonnes CO2equivalent, at which leak check
intervals are specified
maximum allowed interval between leaks checks for equipment
that meets each threshold
quantities of commonly usedHFCsequal to each threshold

Fluorinated Gases Regulations

CO2
(tonne
s)

HFC2
3 (kg)

HFC32
(kg)

HFC40
4A
(kg)

HFC41
0a (kg)

HFC13
4a (kg)

1 per year**

5*

0.3

7.4

1.3

2.4

3.5

2 per year **

50

3.4

74

13

24

35

4 per year **

500

34

741

127

240

350

leak check
Frequency

*10 tonnes CO2 equivalent for hermetically sealed systems from 1st January
2017
**leak test frequency is halved if fitted with leak detection systems