Refrigeration in the preservation of foodstuffs , health care comfort cooling , food processing , mining , transport , beverage production and industrial manufacturing , has become a vital element for sustainability . Before the introduction of synthetic refrigerants , cooling systems relied on natural refrigerants , sulphur dioxide , carbon dioxide , ice and ammonia . When first introduced , synthetic refrigerants were hailed as being much safer and more user friendly , and systems charged with them were much easier to install and repair . There was little regard for the long-term impact on the environment . However , this was to change with the Vienna Convention signed by 28 countries in 1985 , followed by the legally binding Montreal Protocol signed by 46 nations in 1987 .
At the time of the Protocol , millions of refrigeration systems worldwide were adding directly and indirectly towards global carbon emissions , which impact on climate change . The debate as to whether a refrigeration system adds towards global warming or not , has faded . The current global debate is about which refrigerants will provide a long term , environmentally friendly solution .
Users are now seeking refrigerants with a global warming potential ( GWP ) of less than 150 , that are economical , safe to use , and thermodynamically efficient . The threshold of a GWP of 150 is far less than the 1 810 of R22 , the 3 922 of R404A , or the 3 985 of R507A , which is charged into many existing plants .
Natural refrigerants ( ammonia , CO 2
, propylene ), hydrocarbons ( isobutane , propane ), HFOs ( 1234yf , 1234ze ) all have
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a GWP below 150 , but dependent on the application require specific plant features or work procedures for safety compliance . The direct emissions of the refrigerant could be low , but when considering the thermodynamic efficiency or energy usage ( for example , systems that require secondary circuits for safety compliance ), the indirect emissions and economics could dilute the benefit of a low GWP .
Pilot projects funded by UNIDO “ Since the signing of the Montreal Protocol , the demand for HFCs ( R134a , R404A , R410A , R507 ) in developing countries has shown a steady increase with a swing towards low GWP refrigerants at a low level . Although natural refrigerants are widely used in domestic and industrial refrigeration , the market share in developing countries is still small ,” said Stephan Sicars of United Nations Industrial Development Organisation ( UNIDO ) in addressing delegates to the
1 . The eurammon Natural Refrigerant Seminar was well supported by delegates from around the world .
2 . India showed strong support at the eurammon Natural Refrigerant Seminar , from left : DR Riswadkar ( Kirloskar ), Anil Gulanikar ( Dag- Tech Services ), Anand Joshi ( AAR ), Sunilkumar Nair ( Kirloskar ), Sanjay Grover ( Kirloskar ), and MP Behere ( Kirloskar ).
3 . International experts gave exciting insights into country-specific conditions , from left : Dr Xianping Zhang , Dr Karin Jahn ( eurammon ), Bernd Kaltenbrunner ( eurammon ), Prof . Gratiela Tarlea , Monika Witt ( eurammon ), Stephan Sicars , Isolde Döbelin , and Juan Perea .
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eurammon natural refrigerants workshop at Chillventa 2016 .
He went on to relate some of the developments in China : “ The population of stand-alone cabinets and ice cream freezers charged with HC is estimated at 400 000 and 322 000 , respectively . There are nine food
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stores with CO 2 systems . Considering the size of the country and that the population exceeds 1.3 billion , these numbers are low .”
Some of the barriers to HC systems are the higher costs , safety standards , and misconceptions of system performances . Up to 2015 , UNIDO funded projects in several
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