Cold Link Africa May 2019 | Page 20

EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN regulations imposed to control the usage of each. Since the second F-Gas regulations of the EU in 2014, and the Kigali Agreement in 2016 to phase down HFCs, what were commonly used refrigerants, for example R404A and R22, are now something of the past in Europe because of their high GWP. “If one compares the emission of greenhouse gases of the new Focus diesel car with that of R404A, the Focus D would need to travel 40 020km to emit the same greenhouse gas (GHG) as only 1kg of R404A,” explained Fuhrer. He went on referring to the many substitutes (Table A) available as alternatives to R404A, R134a, and R410A. Fuhrer emphasised that in selecting any alternative, one has to consider its characteristics and performance/ operating data. For each alternative, Bitzer offers a range of compressors and the corresponding program for the selection to gain optimum performance for the required duty. Natural refrigerants, in particular ammonia (R717) with a GWP = 0 and CO 2 (R744) with a GWP = 1, have gained much wider usage in industrial and commercial refrigeration as well as process cooling. During the past 15 years, CO 2 has slowly developed from a niche application to Tracy Katsande (Metraclark, Botswana) in centre, surrounded by Bitzer dealers from across southern Africa, with John Buckland (far left) of Metraclark, Export Department, Johannesburg. Table A: Alternatives to HFCs for low GWP. Alternatives to HFCs for low GWP R404A R449A R134a R410A R450A R32 R448A R513A R452A R455A R452B R1234yf R407H R407F R454C R457A R290 20 R454B R1234ze After a busy two days, there was time to enjoy a farewell drink. www.coldlinkafrica.co.za COLD LINK AFRICA • May 2019