Repair, Retrofit, or Replace Choices for Servicing R-22 Equipment

Transcription

1 Repair, Retrofit, or Replace Choices for Servicing R-22 Equipment Brett Van Horn Market Manager HVAC Arkema Inc. 900 First Ave King of Prussia, PA 19406

2 Topics Covered Today R-22 Phase-out EPA Allowances in the Final Rule What it means for you What are your options Repair, Retrofit, or Replace Considerations for servicing with R-22 When to consider replacing equipment When to retrofit and what to consider How to select the right retrofit The benefits of Forane 427A What to keep in mind when performing a retrofit

3 R-22 Phase-Out (Production/Imports)

4 Market Response to R-22 Phase-Out Supply / Demand Production and Importation ends 2020 R-22 will be available after 2020 Supply versus Demand will drive price R-22 Retrofit Activity Refrigeration Supermarkets have been slowly retrofitting over the last 7 years Air Conditioning Retrofits activity increased recently Forane 427A The Easy Retrofit TM New Refrigerants for New Systems Forane 410A Air Conditioning Forane 407A Refrigeration Forane 404A Refrigeration

5 What s your Plan? REPAIR Continue servicing equipment with R-22 RETROFIT Replace R-22 with a Retrofit Refrigerant in the existing equipment REPLACE Replace the old equipment with a new system using a new refrigerant

6 Option 1: Repair with R-22 When to consider servicing R-22 equipment with R-22 The system is under warranty Follow the equipment manufacturers servicing recommendations The system is working well and leak free If it s not broke don t fix it! R-22 will work the best in R-22 equipment The system is undersized Most R-22 retrofits have lower capacity than R-22 The system uses a flooded evaporator All retrofit refrigerants are blends with noticeable glide Fractionation in the evaporator may degrade operation Immiscible lubricants may collect the evaporator

7 Option 2: Replace Equipment When to consider replacing the equipment The system is no longer under warranty Time to also consider Retrofits or Replacing equipment The system is not working well or needs major repairs R-22 equipment will generally not work better with a retrofit than with R-22 Weigh the cost of repairs and operating old equipment versus costs of installing new, efficient equipment Efficiency driven end users Many new systems offer significantly higher SEER Replace older, less efficient systems with newer, more efficient systems to reduce energy consumption

8 R-22 Replacement Refrigerants New Systems Air Conditioning Other replacements include R-134a, R-407C Refrigeration

9 Option 3: Retrofit When to consider using a retrofit refrigerant The system is no longer under warranty The system has persistent leaks Switch to a retrofit refrigerant to avoid repeated charging with R-22 The system is correctly sized or oversized Systems may become critically undersized if choosing a poor retrofit Some oversized systems will benefit from using Forane 427A Doing other system repairs Changing compressor, coils, etc. use the time to perform a retrofit Line sets are buried or difficult to replace Line sets must be replaced if replacing equipment to new refrigerant

10 Option 3: Retrofit When NOT to consider using a retrofit refrigerant The system is under warranty The system undersized The system uses a flooded evaporator

11 Overview of Retrofits Refrigerants

12 R-22 Retrofit Blends The increasing list of R-22 Retrofits. R-427A R-404A R-421A R-422B R-422E R-424A R-507A R-407A R-417A R-421B R-422C R-428A R-407F Etc. R-407C R-417B R-422A R-422D R-434A R-438A Which Retrofit Refrigerant to Use?

13 There are ALWAYS Tradeoffs with Retrofits None work as well as R-22 OVERALL No retrofit will match the capacity and efficiency across all conditions None are miscible with MO or AB HFC refrigerants are immiscible with mineral oil/alkyl benzene Some systems will require either a partial or total oil change to POE None will work in every R-22 system Systems with flooded evaporators may have issues using refrigerant blends Bottom line: There are no Drop-Ins Take the time to do it right

14 HFC Component Comparison R-22 Retrofits are blends containing two or more HFC components R-32 R-125 R-143a R-134a Cond. Pressures (%) V. R. Capacity (%) COP (%) Mass Flow Rate (%) Discharge Temps ( F) GWP (100 year) Flammability A2L A1 A2L A1 MO / AB Solubility Very Poor Very Poor Poor Very Poor Relative to R-22, Standard 105 F Condenser, 25 F Evaporator, 10 F of Superheat & Subcooling GWP from the IPCC AR5

15 Blend Issues Temperature Glide Single Component Temperature Superheated Boiling/Condensing Subcooled Evaporating Condensing

16 Blend Issues Temperature Glide Single Component Temperature Superheated Boiling/Condensing Subcooled Evaporating Zeotropic Blend Condensing Temperature Boiling/Condensing Glide Position in heat exchanger

17 Example Blend Compositions (weight %) R-32 R-125 R-143a R-134a R-290 R-600a R-600 R-601a Lubricant R-404A R-407A R-407C R-407F R-417A R-417B R-421A Added R-421B Added R-422A R-422B R-422C R-422D R-424A R-427A R-428A R-434A R-438A R-507A

18 Compositions of Some Retrofit Options (wt%) R-125 R-134a R-143a R-32 Hydrocarbons R-600 R-600a R-601a Forane 427A Forane 407A Forane 407C R-422D R-438A

19 GWP Comparison of R-22 Replacements Global Warming Potential GWP from IPCC AR4 1,700 R-22 GWP = 1,810 2,300 Global Warming Potential (100 Yr.) 2,730 4,000 R-427A R-407C R-407A R-407F R-438A R-417A R-421A R-424A R-422B R-404A R-507 R-422D R-422A R-422C R-428A R-434A R-421B R-417B R-407B

20 Refrigerant Classifications Lower Toxicity OEL 500 ASHRAE Standard 34 Classifies refrigerants based on flammability and toxicity Determines how refrigerants are treated in codes and standards Non-Flammable Mildly Flammable Flammable Highly Flammable No flame LFL > 0.1 kg/m 3 and HOC < 19 MJ/kg LFL 0.1 kg/m 3 propagation BV 10 cm/s BV > 10 cm/s HOC 19 MJ/kg A1 A2L A2 A3 R-11 R-12 R-22 R-134a R-410A R-404A R-427A R-407A R-407C R-4507A R-408A others R-32 R-143a R-152a R-290: Propane R-600: Butane R-600a: Isobutane Higher Toxicity OEL < 500 B1 B2L B2 B3 R-123 NH3

21 R-22 Retrofit Metrics* Capacity (%) COP (%) Mass Flow (%) Discharge P (psi) Suction P (psi) Discharge T ( F) R-407F +5 R-507A +5 R-428A R-404A R-407A 0 0 R-407C -5 R-421B R-422A -5 R-434A R-422C R-417B R-427A R-438A R-422D R-421A R-422B R-424A R-417A R-407C -3 R-427A -3 R-407A R-417A R-438A R-421A R-424A R-422B R-407F R-507A R-422D R-404A R-417B -9 R-434A -9 R-422C R-422A R-421B R-428A R-428A R-421B R-422A R-422C R-417B +45 R-434A R-422D R-507A R-404A R-422A R-404A R-407F R-422B R-421A R-421B R-422C R-424A R-417A R-417B R-407A R-434A R-438A R-407C R-427A R-407A R-407C 0 0 R-407F R-428A R-507A R-422D R-427A 0 R-438A 0 R-422B -15 R-421A -15 R-424A R-417A R-428A R-507A R-404A R-422A R-421B R-422C R-434A R-407F R-417B R-407A 0 0 R-407C R-422D R-427A -5 R-438A -5 R-422B R-421A R-424A R-417A R-407F R-407C -15 R-407A R-427A R-438A R-417AR-404AR-424A R-421A R-507A R-421B R-434A R-422B R-422D R-428A -45 R-417B -45 R-422A R-422C Capacity (%) COP (%) Mass Flow (%) Discharge P (psi) Suction P (psi) Discharge T ( F) *Standard Cycle 105 F Condenser, 25 F Evaporator, 10 F Subcooling & 10 F Superheat

22 R-22 Retrofit Metrics* Capacity (%) COP (%) Mass Flow (%) Discharge P (psi) Suction P (psi) Discharge T ( F) R-407A R-407A 0 0 R-407C -5-5 R-427A R-407C -3 R-427A -3 R-407A R-427A R-407A R-407C R-407C R-427A R-407A 0 0 R-407C R-427A R-407C -15 R-407A R-427A Capacity (%) COP (%) Mass Flow (%) Discharge P (psi) Suction P (psi) Discharge T ( F) *Standard Cycle 105 F Condenser, 25 F Evaporator, 10 F Subcooling & 10 F Superheat

23 R-22 Retrofit Recommendations Forane 407C Forane 407A Forane 427A Applications Air Conditioning MT & LT Refrigeration Air Conditioning MT & LT Refrigeration Advantages Close match in AC Close match in Refrigeration Close match across range of conditions TXV Change NO NO NO Lubricant POE POE POE / (MO / AB)* * Oil change not needed for many installations

24 The Easy Retrofit TM - Forane 427A

25 Oil Management Issues HFC refrigerants are not miscible in mineral oil or alkylbenzene Hydrocarbons sometimes use to improve oil return, but are highly flammable Use of certain HFC components can improve oil return, such as with R-427A Oil can log in the evaporator and degrade performance Decreased capacity and efficiency Loss in capacity may result in undersized equipment after retrofit System layout is important for proper oil management: Compressor on roof feeding evaporators below Systems with long risers or pipe runs Systems with receivers Options in cases of oil return issues: Adding POE oil to the mineral oil/ab or doing a complete oil change If oil is accessible then an oil change is a proper procedure for a good retrofit If oil is not accessible then stay with R-22 or upgrade to a new system

26 A Few Recommendations with R-427A Change the Oil Long line sets Compressor above coil(s) Systems with vertical risers Systems that you are servicing under contract No Oil Change Short, horizontal line sets Packaged or close-coupled systems Systems not under warranty Favorable evaporator layout and position Oil Change Challenges Solvency of POE Need for filter changes Labor and Expenses Oil change is time consuming Flushes Multiple flushes often not required System setup The oil is not always easily accessible General criteria only. A lubricant change may not be required but POE is always recommended for optimal performance

27 Effect of Lubricant on Performance Tests conducted with Forane 427A, R-438A, R-422D Forane 427A provided best performance across range of conditions Using POE increases COP and Capacity COP (relative to max) R-427A / MO R-427A / POE R-422D / MO R-422D / POE R-438A / MO R-438A / POE Capacity (relative to max) F 25 F 50 F 0 F 25 F 50 F Box Temperature ( o F)

28 CASE STUDIES Air-Conditioning Without Oil-Change: Solar Supply Warehouse, Lake Charles, LA Refrigeration With Oil-Change: Sherm s Thunderbird, Roseburg, OR

29 Retrofit to Forane 427A No Oil Change Solar Supply Warehouse Office (Lake Charles, LA) Application: Air Conditioning (3.5-ton heat pump) Mineral Oil: No oil change Filter-drier and Schrader valve caps and cores were replaced Results: No significant differences in system performance observed Operating pressures with Forane 427A closely matched those with R-22 Compressor ran at lower discharge temperatures

30 Retrofit to Forane 427A Oil Change to POE Sherm s Thunderbird (Roseburg, OR) Application: Supermarket Refrigeration (MT & LT) 3 systems: low-temp, frozen food, deli cases & heat reclaim Mineral Oil replaced with POE No replacement of TXVs Results: Reduced operating cost 7% reduction Case temperatures maintained at desired setpoints Low discharge temperatures

31 Summary R-22 Phase-out: Don t Panic Production/Importation of virgin R-22 will cease in 2020 R-22 equipment can still be serviced with existing R-22 after 2020 You have options for your equipment: 1. Continue to service equipment with R Perform a retrofit to the existing equipment 3. Replace the old equipment for new When performing a retrofit, do your homework Be sure the installation is right for a retrofit Choose a retrofit that closely matches R-22 like Forane 427A Choose a retrofit that minimizes the work required like Forane 427A Take the time to do it right

32 Forane PT Calculator App

33 R-22 Retrofit Resources For more information on Arkema s R-22 Retrofit Solutions, please visit our website at Other useful links: Arkema s N.A. Website: Forane Refrigerant Training: Forane PT App Now supports 8 languages! itunes: Androids: earch_result#?t=w251bgwsmswyldesimnvbs5gb3jhbmuurm9yyw5lil0 Technical Service: THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!