US Supermarkets & HFC Refrigerants
July 3, 2020
Last week the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) published a report that took a look United States supermarket chains. The EIA is an international agency that lobbies against environmental abuse from companies, governments, and groups. They were founded in 1984 in the United Kingdom by three environmental activists. Today they have offices within the UK and the United States. They are known for creating hard hitting reports based off of extensive research. They then use these reports to push for change either through a company level or through governmental legislation.
The most recent... more»
The Downsides of R-717 Ammonia Refrigerant
January 17, 2020
R-717, or Anhydrous Ammonia, is widely regarded as one of the most efficient refrigerants in the world. Not only is it efficient it also has zero Ozone Depletion Potential and has a Global Warming Potential of zero. So, you have a highly efficient refrigerant with no impact on the climate. It is these two reasons why we have begun to see more and more companies and countries use Anhydrous Ammonia.
In fact Ammonia was one of the very first refrigerants to be discovered and used. This can be said for a lot of the natural refrigerants such as Ammonia, Carbon Dioxide, and the various Hydrocarbons... more»
Refrigerant Fact & Info Sheets
Aldi Wins GreenChill Award from EPA
September 26, 2019
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that the grocery chain Aldi has received a GreenChill certification excellence award. The reward was given due to Aldi’s tireless efforts of converting their stores to become more climate friendly.
In 2018 there were no other grocery chains that received as many GreenChill store certifications then Aldi. For those of you who do not know, the GreenChill program was created by the EPA and focuses on food retailers throughout the country. This includes your supermarkets, supercenters, and wholesale outlets. The aim of the program is to... more»
Hydrocarbon Refrigerant Survey Results – Training
May 17, 2020
As you all know, a few days ago I sent out a survey to the industry asking questions on hydrocarbon refrigerants. The goal of this was to help me understand how folks who are working in the industry everyday feel about them. Does it make sense to switch over to hydrocarbons? Should the charge limits be increased? What parts of the world have adopted them, what parts are hesitant to move forward?
This was a new idea for the RefrigerantHQ website and I had high hopes for the results. After letting the surveys come in for the past couple days I am more then happy with the participation that I... more»
RefrigerantHQ Consulting Services
R-12 Refrigerant History
December 31, 2018
Sometimes it is worth to slow down and look in the rear view mirror and see where we have been to find out where we are going. The same analogy can be used when it comes to R-12 refrigerant. R-12 was the the ‘mother’ of all modern day refrigerants that we see and use everyday in today’s world. Without it, the world would look very different. In this article we’re going to take a brief look at where R-12 came from, how it came to be, and why it is no longer used in the world today.
In the early 1900’s the world was looking for a solution for refrigeration and air... more»
Thoughts on R-22 & Next Month’s Phaseout
December 16, 2019
Christmas is next week and then the week after is New Years. That leaves us with less then two weeks until the Environmental Protection Agency’s phaseout of R-22 goes into effect. The phaseout, effective January 1st, 2020, prevents any new manufacturing or importing of R-22 into the United States. The only way to purchase R-22 from then on will be through certified EPA refrigerant reclaimers or through refrigerant distributors who have stock piled R-22 in anticipation of the phaseout.
As you all know, this phaseout has been ten years in the making. It all started back in 2010 with the... more»
Where to Reclaim Refrigerants?
January 1, 2018
When it comes to reclaiming refrigerants in the United States there are a variety of companies to choose from. Over the past few years the list of companies that provide reclamation services has been shrinking but the amount and quality of facilities has only grown. What that means is that a number of companies have begun purchasing and buying out other reclamation companies and begun to consolidate them under three main companies. As I write this today in 2018 the market share of refrigerant reclamation looks a little like this:
A-Gas Americas – 50% of the market.
Hudson Technologies... more»
Are Higher SEER ACs Worth the Money?
June 10, 2019
One of the most confusing parts of buying a new air conditioner is understanding the SEER. The SEER, or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, is a measurement of your air conditioner’s energy efficiency. This measurement is calculated by the total cooling output of your system divided by the total electric energy input, or Watt-Hours, required. So, in other words cooling power divided by electric power. The SEER rating/ratio is calculated over the entire cooling season as an average. It factors in a constant indoor temperature and then weighs that temperature against outside temperatures... more»
The Subtle Phase Out of R-134a Refrigerant
November 21, 2019
One of my most visited articles this year was on the topic of the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed phase down and eventual phase out of the HFC R-134a. This article is a few years old now and it was referencing the EPA’s SNAP Rule 20 and 21. These rules, which were issued in 2015, stated that R-134a would no longer be acceptable for use in new 2021 model year vehicles.
When I wrote that article everyone was under the impression that this phase out would come to fruition and auto-makers would be forced to switch away from R-134a just as they had done in the 90’s with R-12.... more»
A Look at Cascade Refrigeration
May 13, 2019
A few weeks ago I did an article on transcritical refrigeration. In that article I stated that I knew very little on the subject, but as I wrote the article I was able to teach myself a bit about it and understand the principles behind the transcritical system.
Well today we are going to be doing the same type of post except this time on cascade refrigeration systems. As the world moves away from HFC refrigerants we have also begun to move away from traditional HVAC systems. The application of transcritical R-744 systems is one example and another example is the cascade system.
As most of you... more»
Preliminary Ruling on Antidumping of HFC Refrigerants
April 9, 2020
Earlier this week the United States Department of Commerce (DOC) made a preliminary ruling on hydroflurocarbon refrigerant components coming in from China. The components are brought into the United States and then mixed or blended domestically in an effort to get around the 2016 antidumping tariffs. The 2016 ruling installed tariffs on the blended HFC refrigerants themselves such as R404A, R407A, R407C, R410A, and R507A. Because this ruling did NOT pertain to the actual components of these blended refrigerants the United States saw an over four-hundred percent increase in imports of R-32,... more»
A Look at Transcritical Refrigeration
April 23, 2019
I’ll be the first to admit that I know very little when it comes to a transcritical system. I have seen it mentioned numerous times and have also seen that it is starting to become a trend in certain newer environmentally friendly applications. In an effort to educate myself I’m going to take a look at transcritical systems and how they work in this article.
We are all familiar with subcritical refrigeration process. This is the same process that is used in most every air conditioner or refrigerator across the world. It consists of four specific processes known as evaporation,... more»
US Supermarkets & HFC Refrigerants
July 3, 2020
Last week the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) published a report that took a look United States supermarket chains. The EIA is an international agency that lobbies against environmental abuse from companies, governments, and groups. They were founded in 1984 in the United Kingdom by three environmental activists. Today they have offices within the UK and the United States. They are known for creating hard hitting reports based off of extensive research. They then use these reports to push for change either through a company level or through governmental legislation.
The most recent... more»
What is a MERV Rating on Filters?
June 5, 2019
Most folks don’t think about their air conditioner/furnace filters very often. In some cases they change their filters every month, sometimes every two months. If they’re like me it might be every six months. No matter how often you change it you should know that your air conditioner filter is an important part of the comfort of your home.
Without an air conditioner filter you not only jeopardize your air conditioner and furnace but you also allow impure air to circulate throughout your home. Yes, even though you may not know it, your central AC/Furnace also work as an air purifier for... more»
