The IOR's New Bulletins Available

The IOR's RACHP EngTech Section has published two new good practice guides. Our latest ones, listed below, are a source of practical "toolbox talk" style information:

Storage of Refrigerant Cylinders in Commercial Premises (GPG107)

Air Conditioning Technology Part 6 – Compressors (GPG108)

They will be of interest to technicians, service engineers, installers and maintenance experts. If you are a Technician or employ Technicians please pass this information on.

Section Members are sent new printed bulletins every quarter and IOR members can download them for free from the IOR website. (Non members pay £6 per bulletin). Membership of the section is just £42 per year and includes immediate access to all downloads, and an annual CPD certificate. Find out how you can join here https://ior.org.uk/membership/technician-membership

Looking for more publications and technical information from the IOR? View our online library at https://ior.org.uk/technical/buy-documents

Guidance on Refrigerant Selection

A new IOR Guidance Note 37 on Refrigerant Selection provides an overview of the critical points that should be considered in selecting refrigerant. Please download a copy of the Guidance Note to review.

The Guidance Note is of particular interest to equipment owners, operators and advisors making purchasing decisions that will influence the selection of refrigerant and equipment being installed now and in use well into the future. Members are encouraged to share this with their customers and equipment users.

To support Net Zero targets the IOR recommends that equipment designers, purchasers, owners and operators select a refrigerant with the lowest GWP possible.

It is often possible to use a refrigerant with a GWP of 10 or less (i.e., carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrocarbon or HFO), but this may not always be practical. The IOR recommends that systems and equipment should only be installed using refrigerants with a GWP over 300 where a low GWP option with equal or better efficiency is not available. This recommendation is in line with the “low GWP” classification included in the UNEP RTOC reports and sector-specific trade associations which also quote the figure of GWP 300 as a maximum. GWP values above 300 are classed as “medium” or “high” in the RTOC classification.

This means that systems using “medium” or “high” GWP refrigerants should not be purchased or installed unless there is no lower GWP alternative for the application. For a full list of refrigerants and GWP values see the 2018 UNEP RTOC report or Annex E of BS EN 378-1:2016+A1:2020.

Where equipment using a refrigerant with a GWP greater than 300 is currently in use, a plan should be in place to replace the system at end of life with a lower GWP refrigerant where possible.

With the on-going phase down and quota restrictions on HFC refrigerants having the greatest impact on the availability of higher GWP refrigerants as well as certain use bans under national regulations, there are very good commercial and environmental reasons for moving to low GWP refrigerants.

The IOR Guidance Note 37 “Refrigerant Selection” gives a more complete explanation of all the criteria that should be adopted in selecting the most appropriate refrigerant for the application.
References

The IOR Guidance Note 37 “Refrigerant Selection” gives a more complete explanation of all the criteria that should be adopted in selecting the most appropriate refrigerant for the application.

You can also download a copy of this Statement on choice of refrigerant as a pdf

References