And from now until 31 December 2014, only reclaimed or recycled refrigerants can be used. From 2015 onwards, there is a total ban on HCFCs in the EU. This means that since 1 January 2010, you have been limited to reclaimed or recycled R22, and only for service and repair purposes. Looking to the medium term, you will have to convert all your R22 plants.
Reclaimed HCFCs in scarce supply
R22 is the only reclaimed HCFC available in commercial quantities. However, there are no reliable figures on the amount of reclaimed R22 that will be available from 2010, as this will depend on the number of conversions and the purity of the resulting product.
Help from Linde
Linde engineers can help you find the phase-out strategy best suited to your application – factoring in the age, working life, condition and operating costs of your facility. We can help you choose suitable replacement refrigerants that lower your environmental impact while still providing effective chilling and cooling performance. Your options include:
- Convert existing equipment to operate with a retrofit HFC refrigerant
- Replace existing equipment and move to natural refrigerants or HFC refrigerants
- Continue operating your existing R22 facility, bearing in mind that you may have to work around supply issues.
