Manual for Refrigeration Servicing Technicians - UNEP - Division of ...

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Summary 1.1. Introduction
Initially the ozone layer is described and the impact
that certain refrigerants have on it. The concept of
global warming is also described and the impact of
some refrigerants, and the energy-related impact
associated with the operation of refrigeration
systems are discussed. The primary motivation for
the introduction of alternative refrigerants, namely the
Montreal Protocol and latterly the Kyoto Protocol are
emphasized.
The reader should be able to:
• Identify the main environmental problems related
to RAC installations
• Identify the role of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and
hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerants in
ozone layer depletion
• Identify how RAC contributes to global warming
• Identify the measures of the Montreal Protocol
and the schedule for refrigerants phase-out.
Environmental Impact
Refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump applications represent
the major consumer of halogenated chemical substances used as
refrigerants; it is also one of the most important energy sector users
in our society today. It is estimated that, on average, for developed
countries, the RAC sectors are responsible for 10-20% of electricity
consumption.
The economic impact of refrigeration applications is significant;
estimates indicate 300 million tonnes of continually refrigerating
goods, with huge annual electricity consumption, and about US$
100 billion in equipment investments, where the estimated value of
the products treated by refrigeration are about four times this sum.
This is one of the reasons why economic impacts of the elimination
of refrigerant chemical substances such as CFCs and in the near
future HCFCs have been hard to calculate.
Although HCFCs had been used since the 1930s, because of
their relatively low ozone depleting potential (ODP), they were not
at first included in the controls for ODS. As such, they were used
within mixture of other chemical compounds to enable the easy
replacement of CFCs. It was, however, acknowledged at the time
that these chemicals were transitional since their production and
consumption was also to be phased out under the Montreal Protocol.
About The Ozone Layer 4
About the Montreal Protocol 4