RACA Journal October 2026 | страница 47

SUPPORT voices

GRANT LAIDLAW

Grant Laidlaw is currently the owner of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Academy( ACRA) in Edenvale. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and an associate degree in educational administration. He has a National Technical Diploma and completed an apprenticeship with Transnet. He has dual-trades status: refrigeration and electrical. He has been involved with SAIRAC for over two decades and served on the Johannesburg committee as chairman and was also president between 2015 and 2018. Currently he is the SAIRAC national treasurer.

WELCOME TO THE SOLUTIONS PAGE

By Grant Laidlaw

Many people ask for assistance in understanding theoretical and practical aspects of the industry. I will endeavour to enlighten. We are going back to basics as I have questions coming in that indicate that the basic understanding necessary to work in industry is not in place.

Prince asks: I have a need to understand the situation about natural refrigerants. Also, what are TEWI and Forever Refrigerants? I do not see any natural refrigerants being used. Thank you.

Hi Prince, yes I can assist you with your question. I will give background information but can immediately indicate where natural refrigerants are currently being extensively used. The domestic refrigeration sector has moved over to R600a( Isobutane). R600a is a hydrocarbon and is in fact a natural refrigerant, as is R290( propane).

In the light commercial refrigeration sector – beverage coolers – R290 has been introduced into the market with tens of thousands of these units currently in use in South Africa. In the industrial refrigeration sector, R717( ammonia) is extremely common and has been used in South Africa for over one hundred years. R717( CO2) has gained considerable traction in the commercial refrigeration space. To clarify, hydrofluorocarbons( HFC) refrigerants are still in use in the

refrigeration sector but HFC refrigerants are on the national phase down schedule as I will explain.

From your question I conclude that you are primarily working in the air conditioning sector. Yes, this part of the industry is still using R22 – a hydrochlorofluorocarbon( HCFC) – as well as several HFC refrigerants. The pace of change to natural refrigerants must be to what the country can afford. We cannot say that as of tomorrow all R22 systems must be replaced, as this is not economically viable.

THE REASON WE HAVE TO IMPLEMENT PHASE- OUT AND PHASE-DOWN SCHEDULES The refrigerants with the highest potential to damage the environment were placed closer to the beginning of this process.

RACA Journal I October 2026

CFCs( R11, R12 R502 etc) had extremely high ozone depletion potential and have been phased out.

Ozone-depleting substances( ODS) are substances that damage the earth’ s ozone layer in the upper atmosphere. ODS include chlorofluorocarbons( CFCs) such as R12 and R502, HCFCs such as R22, R123, R142b and drop in blends such as R408A. HCFCs are still used as refrigerants in many Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump( RACHP) equipment. ODSs are defined in Annexure A of the Montreal Protocol.

Ozone depletion increases the amount of UVB radiation that reaches the earth’ s surface and leads to the following negative impacts for life on earth:

• Effects on human health: more cases of skin cancer; UVB has been linked to the development of cataracts, a clouding of the eye’ s lens

• Effects on plants

• Effects on marine ecosystems

• Effects on biogeochemical cycles

Let us go back to 1974 when the discovery of the dangerous impact CFCs have on the earth’ s atmosphere, namely their contribution to ozone depletion, was made by Rowland and Molina. CFC R11 is one of the most potent chemicals responsible for creating the ozone hole in the stratosphere over the southern hemisphere. A single chlorine atom released by CFCs can last for up to 100 years in the atmosphere and can destroy 100 000 ozone molecules( EPA, 2018). Therefore, in 1987, the Montreal Protocol was concluded to protect the ozone layer from further depletion. It regulates the gradual phase-out of harmful substances to the ozone layer, including CFCs, which have been banned since 1 January 2010. www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za 45