Practical concerns for refrigerant management in buildings
- ASW Engineering, Tustin, CA (United States)
The new laws that regulate the HVAC industry are sometimes confusing and carry heavy fines for non-compliance. The guidelines set forth in ASHRAE Standard 15-1992, Safety Code for Mechanical Refrigeration, may not show up in local codes for quite some time, which leaves the question of diligence in the hands of the building owner. In the case of equipment retrofit, city permits may not be acquired and whether Standard 15 is being met by contractors and owners is a matter of choice. Standard 15 involves refrigeration room ventilation, doors and passageways, long and short-term refrigerant monitoring, pressure-relief piping, alarms, self-contained breathing apparatus requirements, etc. In terms of being practical with liability, nothing short of strict compliance with Standard 15 will provide protection. Once beyond chiller room safety, EPA compliance, namely Rule 608 (National Emissions Reduction Program) of Title VI Clean Air Act of 1990, requires minimal record keeping when CFC and HCFC refrigerants are present. The EPA suggests the following measures as a means of getting started with a practical approach to managing refrigerant in buildings: (1) designate a facility refrigerant manager; (2) conduct an inventory of equipment and refrigerants; and (3) develop a refrigerant management plan. The plan should combine these actions: maintaining existing equipment; retrofitting equipment to alternative refrigerants; and replacing oil or inefficient equipment. Lastly, when making decisions about replacement refrigerants, keep in mind that the United States could be moving toward mandated limits on greenhouse gas emissions.
- OSTI ID:
- 6902528
- Journal Information:
- Energy Engineering; (United States), Vol. 91:3; ISSN 0199-8595
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
REFRIGERANTS
MATERIAL SUBSTITUTION
SAFETY STANDARDS
CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS
CLEAN AIR ACTS
INVENTORIES
MAINTENANCE
RECOMMENDATIONS
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
SPACE HVAC SYSTEMS
US EPA
ENERGY SYSTEMS
FLUIDS
LAWS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION LAWS
STANDARDS
US ORGANIZATIONS
WORKING FLUIDS
320106* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Building Equipment- (1987-)
540120 - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)