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Substitutes for Potent Greenhouse Gases

6 Evaluations and recommendations

A number of activities have been initiated for the development of HFC substitutes. Many results have been achieved and satisfactory results are expected of the many current projects.
As mentioned in chapter 3, a number of projects are going on, i.e.:

Danish EPA: Programme for Natural Refrigerants:

Development of small ammonia systems, including new assembling methods
Development of ice slurry generator
Integral reefer containers with natural refrigerants (preliminary study). This project has been accomplished and a final project proposal has been prepared.
The Danish Energy Agency has supported the following projects in progress:
Supermarket refrigeration system using ammonia and indirect cooling
Water vapour compression system
Energy saving commercial refrigerators and freezers using isobutane
Cooling with natural refrigerants within the hotel branch
Milk cooling system using ammonia for use at a farm.

The initiation of a Cleaner Technology project on substitution of SF6 in noise reducing windows is recommended. This should be carried out in co-operation with for instance manufacturers.

The initiation of a Cleaner Technology project in substitution of potent green house gases in integral reefer containers is recommended. This should be carried out in close co-operation with relevant industry. The project should consist of two parts, where the first part is development and testing of a new cooling system, using CO2 as refrigerant. The second of part is development and testing of new insulating concepts. One or two containers should be produced and tested in practice.

Further efforts with commercial refrigeration are recommended. For instance ammonia or hydrocarbons for direct or indirect cooling can be used. Construction and testing of a demo plant has to be carried out. In addition, a parallel education programme for refrigeration fitters must be prepared. This project will be made in co-operation with the relevant authorities.

The establishment of a homepage on the Internet is recommended in order to allow world-wide distribution of Danish results. Links to relevant homepages should be established on this homepage.

Later on projects on other subjects involving potent green house gases can be initiated, in case of promising concepts.

Highest priority of projects in areas where Danish production and know-how already prevail is recommended. By means of this, an optimum synergistic effect is assured to secure an efficient development of new products without green house gases.


7 Project proposals for the Cleaner Technology programme

On the basis of the evaluations and the recommendations in chapter 6 the following lists of proposals for Cleaner Technology projects are made, whilst the proposals are categorised into two priorities:

At short sight the following projects should have highest priority in the Cleaner Technology programme:

Development of noise insulating windows without SF6
Integral reefer containers with CO2 refrigeration system and new insulation
Commercial cooling systems with hydrocarbons
Information on natural refrigerants and other substitutes for HFCs, PFCs and SF6, including creation of a homepage showing the latest results, reports, etc.
On a slightly longer sight the following areas should be considered:
Insulating panels without HFC or HCFC
Flexible polyurethane foam without HFC
Blowing of other insulating foam without HFC
D.C.-compressor for refrigerators (for isobutane)
Low temperature cooling systems with natural refrigerant


8 Literature

In the report the following literature has been used:

Environmental Report No. 342: Ozone depleting substances and certain green house gases 1995. Prepared by Jan Holmegaard Hansen, COWI. Danish EPA 1997.
Working report No. 98, 1997: Ozone depleting substances and certain green house gases 1996. Prepared by Jan Holmegaard Hansen, COWI. Danish EPA 1997.
Ozone depleting substances and certain green house gases 1997. Environmental project to be published in 1998 by the Danish EPA. Prepared by Jan Holmegaard Hansen and Thomas Sander Poulsen, COWI.
Working report Nr. 20: Consumption and emission of 8 fluorine and chlorine hydrocarbons. Danish EPA 1996.
Svend Auken, Danish Minister for the Environment and Energy, Official Opening of the Conference, Application for Natural Refrigerants, Aarhus, Denmark, 3. 6. September 1996. International Institute of Refrigeration, Paris.
List of undesireable substances. Review No. 7, 1998, Danish EPA, 1998.
Environmental Project No. 300: Polyurethane Foam without Ozone Depleting Substances; Experience from Danish industry. Danish EPA 1995.
Environmental Project No. 301: Going towards Natural Refrigerants; Experience from Danish industry. Danish EPA 1995.
Environmental Project No. 312: Going towards Natural Fire extinguishant; Experience from Danish industry.
Greenfreeze refrigerator types available on the Danish market, Status March 1998. A user's guide prepared by Greenpeace (under revision). For further information see www.greenpeace.org/~dk.
Scandinavian Refrigeration (ScanRef) 4/1997. Article about a Swedish supermarket refrigeration system using hydrocarbons as refrigerant. (In Swedish).
Scandinavian Refrigeration (ScanRef) 3/1998. Hvad skal vi med TEWI? Bjørn Grødem. (In Norwegian).
Hans Haukås, Reduksjon i forbruket av HFK, tiltak og kostnadar, Rapport 97:32 Statens Forurensningstilsyn. (In Norwegian).
Uden køling bliver det meste for varmt. Discussion on the use of refrigerants in retailing, industry and at the end-user. Prepared by AKB (Authorised Refrigeration Installers Association), 1998. (In Danish)
Kathryn Ellerton, Allied Signal Inc: Recent Developments and the Outlook for Global Sulphur Hexafluoride, International Magnesium Association Fifty-four, Toronto, June 1997.
Letter from Sarah Severn, Director, NIKE Environmental Action Team to Tarjei Haaland, Greenpeace Denmark, dated September 12, 1997.
Environmental Report, Norsk Hydro, 1997.
Letter from Sarah Severn, Director, NIKE Environmental Action Team to Tarjei Haaland, Greenpeace Denmark. Dated August 17, 1998.
Possibilities in reducing consumption and emission of potent green house gases (HFCs, PFCs and SF6). Project for the Nordic Council of Ministers. Preliminary report dated October 1998.
Various brochures from Danish and foreign enterprises.

 

 

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