UNUSUAL APPLICATION OF HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS

A WAY OF HELPING TO OVERCOME THE PROBLEMS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Keith Sutton
Editor ACR Today

Geothermal heat pump systems are not widely used in Europe, unlike America, despite the large energy savings which they can offer.

Because of this my presentation revolves around an installation in a Dutch hotel where the total system is projected to achieve huge energy savings in the future.

I visited the hotel personally towards the end of last year.

Here is what I found.

A LOOK AT SOME ALTERNATIVE REFRIGERANTS IN EUROPE

By Keith Sutton
Editor ACR Today

It won't be long now before the air conditioning and refrigeration industry in Europe waves goodbye to HCFC 22.

The latest EU regulation has banned the use of this highly popular refrigerant in most types of new refrigeration equipment from the beginning of this year.

It was not a complete goodbye - existing systems can be maintained with virgin HCFC 22 until 2010 and with recycled HCFC 22 until 2015.

And of course there is still a huge amount of 22 about. It is estimated for instance that the total banked amount of R22 in the UK is between 15,000 and 20,000 tonnes. Imagine what that figure would be for the whole of the EU.

Despite this huge 'bank' of R22 we are all of use going to have to get used to dealing with and handling other refrigerants. In some cases we will have to undergo special training to enable us to deal with some of them in safety.

Of course, if one is designing a new system it should be remembered that, in principle at any rate, a new system may be designed using any refrigerant that is available. In practice of course things are different and designs are based on refrigerants that have been used before.

The most popular and to many, the most obvious choice for vapour compression systems similar to those used with R22 are pure HFC refrigerants and blends. Among these are 134a, 407C, 404A, 410A, 507 and 417A.

Hydrocarbons (HCs) are of course another alternative for some applications but their flamability causes concern and requires special training for personnel handling them.

The use of ammonia (R717) present problems for most systems designed for R22 but it is most feasible in indirect systems using a secondary refrigerant.

Looking to the future carbon dioxide is being developed as a refrigerant but there are few applications where this has been commercialised at present.

Water vapour as a refrigerant and the air cycle are also being researched as are systems using solar voltaics but they really are some time away!

I could go on of course and tell you how carbon dioxide needs different technology and components to the refrigerants to which I have already referred but other speakers more knowledgable than I will, I am sure, be able to give you a much better technical discourse.

Perhaps instead we can debate the place of HFC and other refrigerants in Europe at resent.

For instance who has used HCs. Please tell us of your experiences. Were there any problems? Etc, etc, etc.
What about the HFC 'alternatives'? Any problems? Does the higher pressure R410A cause any difficulties?

What are the feelings about the political pressures being used by some countries (Denmark in particular) to outlaw HFCs by 2006? Should we all resist?
What are your views? Let us all know now.