ShareAn investigation of refrigerant leakage in commercial refrigeration.
A summary referring on an article recently published in the International Journal of Refrigeration (IJR).
An article from Christina Francis et al. presents the results of a project which investigated refrigerant leakage within two of the UK’s major supermarket chains.
The authors remind that the growth in the commercial refrigeration subsector is of concern, since it is reported to have the highest CO2 equivalent emissions for the whole RACHP industry, equivalent to 40% of total annual refrigerant emissions, despite it being responsible for only 22% of worldwide refrigerant consumption. Annual leak rate can be an average of 11% and up to 30% in some cases.
Leakage data from 1,464 maintenance records were analyzed. The analysis categorized the type and location of each leak and the volume of refrigerant replaced during repair. Over 82% of the recorded leaks were from R404A refrigeration systems, and mainly consisted of pipe or joint failures or a leaking seal/gland/core located in the compressor pack and the high pressure liquid line.
The authors recommend that the industry focuses on developing leak tight design, installation and maintenance of pipework and valves, for the components that most often develop faults, to minimize refrigerant leakage.
C. Francis, G. Maidment, G. Davies, An investigation of refrigerant leakage in commercial refrigeration, International Journal of Refrigeration, vol 74, Feb. 2017
Available in the Fridoc database.
The authors remind that the growth in the commercial refrigeration subsector is of concern, since it is reported to have the highest CO2 equivalent emissions for the whole RACHP industry, equivalent to 40% of total annual refrigerant emissions, despite it being responsible for only 22% of worldwide refrigerant consumption. Annual leak rate can be an average of 11% and up to 30% in some cases.
Leakage data from 1,464 maintenance records were analyzed. The analysis categorized the type and location of each leak and the volume of refrigerant replaced during repair. Over 82% of the recorded leaks were from R404A refrigeration systems, and mainly consisted of pipe or joint failures or a leaking seal/gland/core located in the compressor pack and the high pressure liquid line.
The authors recommend that the industry focuses on developing leak tight design, installation and maintenance of pipework and valves, for the components that most often develop faults, to minimize refrigerant leakage.
C. Francis, G. Maidment, G. Davies, An investigation of refrigerant leakage in commercial refrigeration, International Journal of Refrigeration, vol 74, Feb. 2017
Available in the Fridoc database.