Phasing Out Ozone-Depleting Refrigerants

In September 2013, one of the nation’s largest grocery store chains reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Justice (DOJ), agreeing to pay $600,000 for violating the Clean Air Act (CAA) when it failed to quickly repair leaks and keep maintenance records of HCFC-22, the greenhouse gas and ODS used in its refrigeration systems. According to the EPA, “The settlement involves the largest number of facilities ever under the Clean Air Act’s regulations governing refrigeration equipment.” In addition, the company agreed to institute a compliant refrigeration management system and spend an estimated $4.1 million on refrigeration system changes to reduce leaks.

While it is essential that facilities minimize refrigerant leaks, the ultimate goal agreed to under the Montreal Protocol is to eliminate ODSs all together and replace them with substances that have low global warming potential (GWP). The CAA incorporates U.S. regulations to meet requirements of the Montreal Protocol, which is essentially the international plan for the phaseout of ODSs by developed countries. These are very complex and far-reaching regulations that continue to evolve. As of today, the primary HCFC in use in the United States is HCFC-22 (R-22), and the EPA is scheduled to ban production and import of HCFC-22 by January 1, 2020, and of all HCFCs by January 1, 2030. HCFC-22, as well as HCFC-142b and blends containing them, are already banned for use in new precharged appliances or for charging new appliances that are assembled on-site.

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As HCFCs are being phased out, industry and regulators are cooperating in a search for alternative coolant sources that do not harm the environment and will, hopefully, be easier to maintain. This will require not only new coolants but also new systems and components that do not rely on HCFCs to meet or exceed industry requirements. To help meet this need, the EPA  created the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program, through which the agency identifies and publishes lists of both acceptable and unacceptable ODS substitutes for all affected industry sectors, including refrigeration and air conditioning, foam blowing agents, cleaning solvents, fire suppression and explosion protection, aerosols, sterilants, tobacco expansion, and adhesives, coatings, and inks.

Within each sector, the EPA breaks out alternatives according to the system it is intended for so that the coolant can meet the performance requirements of that system. For example, for very-low temperature refrigeration systems, such as those used in medical freezers, that have to maintain temperatures at or below -80°F, SNAP provides a list of accepted alternatives based on their ozone-depleting potential. The lists provide the name of the substitute as listed in the Federal Register, the trade name, the refrigerants it can replace, and whether it is appropriate for a retrofit, a new system, or both.

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Another EPA program is called GreenChill and it targets food retailers who want to partner with the EPA to reduce emissions of ODSs. The program offers three distinct programs addressing different aspects of::

• The Food Retailer Corporate Emissions Reduction Program
• The Store Certification Program for Advanced Refrigeration
• The Advanced Refrigeration Promotion Program

To date, GreenChill has some of the nation’s largest food retailers among its partners as well as retrofit chemical and secondary fluid manufacturers and advanced refrigeration system manufacturers.  In its 2011 GreenChill Progress Report, the program showed a reduction in the average partner leak rate from 13.71% to 12.95% against an industry average of approximately 25% from 2007 to 2011. Another important statistic is the shift away from HCFC-22, which was 36.4% in 2007 increasing to 53.2% in 2011.
GreenChill offers members guidance documents, performance reports, and public relations tools as well as recognition for achievements, peer networking opportunities, and a collaborative environment to drive innovation and find alternative coolants and systems.