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

Repair, Retrofit, or Replace

Choices for Servicing R-22 Equipment

Brett Van Horn

Market Manager – HVAC

Arkema Inc.

900 First Ave

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

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}

What’s your Plan ?

RETROFIT

REPAIR

REPLACE

Continue servicing equipment with R-22

Replace R-22 with a Retrofit Refrigerant in

the existing equipment

Replace the old equipment with a new

system using a new refrigerant

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

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

R-22 Replacement Refrigerants

Refrigeration

Air Conditioning

New Systems

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

Option 3: Retrofit

When NOT to consider using a retrofit refrigerant

The system is under warranty

The system undersized

R-22 Retrofit Blends

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

The increasing list of R-22 Retrofits….

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”

HFC Component Comparison

R-32 R-125 R-143a R-134a

Cond. Pressures (%) + 62 + 31 + 19 - 34

V. R. Capacity (%) + 60 + 7 + 5 - 38

COP (%) - 5 - 11 - 7 + 0.6

Mass Flow Rate (%) - 36 + 84 + 25 + 8

Discharge Temps (°°°°F) + 34 - 51 - 46 - 36

GWP (100 year) 677 3170 4800 1300

Flammability A2L A1 A2L A1

MO / AB Solubility Very Poor Very Poor Poor Very Poor

Relative to R-22, Standard Cycle @ 105°F Condenser, 25°F Evaporator, 10°F of Superheat & Subcooling

GWP from the IPCC AR5

Blend Issues – Temperature Glide

Blend Issues – Temperature Glide

Position in heat exchanger

-50 -49 -48 -47 -46 -45 -44 2.7 1.9 1.2 0.4 0.2 0.6 1.0 11.0 10.4 9.8 9.2 8.6 0 7.3

Example Blend Compositions (weight %)

R-32 R-125 R-143a R-134a R-290 R-600a R-600 R-601a Lubricant

R-404A --- 44.0 52.0 4.0 --- --- --- --- ---R-407A 20.0 40.0 --- 40.0 --- --- --- --- ---R-407C 23.0 25.0 --- 52.0 --- --- --- --- ---R-407F 30.0 30.0 --- 40.0 --- --- --- --- ---R-417A --- 46.6 --- 50.0 --- --- 3.4 --- ---R-417B --- 79.0 --- 18.3 --- --- 2.7 --- ---R-421A --- 58.0 --- 42.0 --- --- --- --- Added R-421B --- 85.0 --- 15.0 --- --- --- --- Added R-422A --- 85.1 --- 11.5 --- 3.4 --- --- ---R-422B --- 55.0 --- 42.0 --- 3.0 --- --- ---R-422C --- 82.0 --- 15.0 --- 3.0 --- --- ---R-422D --- 65.1 --- 31.5 --- 3.4 --- --- ---R-424A --- 50.5 --- 47.0 --- 0.9 1.0 0.6 ---R-427A 15.0 25.0 10.0 50.0 --- --- --- --- ---R-428A --- 77.5 20.0 ---- 0.6 1.9 --- --- ---R-434A --- 63.2 18.0 16.0 --- 2.8 --- --- ---R-438A 8.5 45.0 --- 44.2 --- --- 1.7 0.6 ---R-507A --- 50.0 50.0 --- --- --- --- ---

---Compositions of Some Retrofit Options (wt%)

R-125

R-134a

R-143a

R-32

Hydrocarbons

R-600 R-600a R-601a

Forane

427A

25

50

10

15

Forane

407A

40

40

20

Forane

407C

25

52

23

R-422D

65.1

31.5

3.4

R-438A

45

44.2

8.5

1.7

0.6

R-404A R-507 R-422D R-422A R-422C R-428A R-434A R-421B R-417B R-407B R-417A R-421A R-424A R-422B R-427A R-407C R-407A R-407F R-438A Global Warming Potential (100 Yr.) 1 ,7 0 0 4 ,0 0 0 2 ,3 0 0 2 ,7 3 0 R -2 2 G W P = 1 ,8 1 0

GWP Comparison of R-22 Replacements

Refrigerant Classifications

ASHRAE Standard 34

● Classifies refrigerants based on flammability and toxicity

● Determines how refrigerants are treated in codes and standards

A1

A2L

A2

A3

B1

B2L

B2

B3

Non-Flammable Mildly Flammable Flammable Highly Flammable

L o w e r To x ic it y H ig h e r To x ic it y O E L ≥ 5 0 0 O E L < 5 0 0 BV ≤ 10 cm/s BV > 10 cm/s LFL > 0.1 kg/m3_{and HOC < 19 MJ/kg LFL ≤0.1 kg/m3} HOC ≥19 MJ/kg No flame propagation

R-22 Retrofit Metrics*

*Standard Cycle 105°°°°F Condenser, 25°°°°F Evaporator, 10°°°°F Subcooling & 10°°°°F Superheat

Capacity (%) Capacity (%) 0 0 -5 -5 +5 +5 +15 +15 -15 -15 +25 +25 -25 -25 COP (%) COP (%) 0 0 -3 -3 +3 +3 +9 +9 -9 -9 +15 +15 -15 -15 Mass Flow (%) Mass Flow (%) 0 0 -15 -15 +15 +15 +45 +45 -45 -45 +75 +75 -75 -75 Discharge P (psi) Discharge P (psi) 0 0 -15 -15 +15 +15 +45 +45 -45 -45 +75 +75 -75 -75 Suction P (psi) Suction P (psi) 0 0 -5 -5 +5 +5 +15 +15 -15 -15 +25 +25 -25 -25 Discharge T (°°°°F) Discharge T (°°°°F) 0 0 -15 -15 +15 +15 +45 +45 -45 +75 +75 -75 -75 -45 R-427A R-407C R-427A R-407A R-407C R-407A R-427A R-407A R-407C R-427A R-407A R-407C R-427A R-407A R-407C R-407A R-407C R-427A R-424A R-421A R-417A R-417B R-421B R-404A R-407F R-507A R-417A R-417B R-421A R-421BR-422A R-422B R-422C R-422D R-424A R-428A R-434A R-438A R-404A R-407F R-507A R-417B R-421B R-422A R-422B R-422C R-422D R-424A R-428A R-434A R-438A R-421A R-404A R-407F R-507A R-417A R-417B R-421B R-422A R-422B R-422C R-422D R-424A R-428A R-434A R-438A R-421A R-404A R-407F R-507A R-417A R-417B R-421B R-422A R-422B R-422C R-422D R-424A R-428A R-434A R-438A R-421A R-404A R-407F R-507A R-417A R-417B R-421B R-422A R-422B R-422C R-422D R-424A R-428A R-434A R-438A R-404A R-407F R-507A R-417A R-422A R-422B R-422C R-428A R-434A R-422D R-438A R-421A

R-22 Retrofit Metrics*

*Standard Cycle 105°°°°F Condenser, 25°°°°F Evaporator, 10°°°°F Subcooling & 10°°°°F Superheat

Capacity (%) Capacity (%) 0 0 -5 -5 +5 +5 +15 +15 -15 -15 +25 +25 -25 -25 COP (%) COP (%) 0 0 -3 -3 +3 +3 +9 +9 -9 -9 +15 +15 -15 -15 Mass Flow (%) Mass Flow (%) 0 0 -15 -15 +15 +15 +45 +45 -45 -45 +75 +75 -75 -75 Discharge P (psi) Discharge P (psi) 0 0 -15 -15 +15 +15 +45 +45 -45 -45 +75 +75 -75 -75 Suction P (psi) Suction P (psi) 0 0 -5 -5 +5 +5 +15 +15 -15 -15 +25 +25 -25 -25 Discharge T (°°°°F) Discharge T (°°°°F) 0 0 -15 -15 +15 +15 +45 +45 -45 +75 +75 -75 -75 -45 R-427A R-407C R-427A R-407A R-407C R-407A R-427A R-407A R-407C R-427A R-407A R-407C R-427A R-407A R-407C R-407A R-407C R-427A

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 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

A Few Recommendations with R-427A

Long line sets

Compressor above coil(s) Systems with vertical risers Systems that you are servicing under contract

Short, horizontal line sets

Packaged or close-coupled systems Systems not under warranty

Favorable evaporator layout and position

General criteria only. A lubricant change may not be required but POE is always recommended for optimal performance

Change the Oil No Oil Change

Oil Change Challenges

Solvency of POE

• Need for filter changes

Flushes

• Multiple flushes often not required

Labor and Expenses

• Oil change is time consuming

System setup

Effect of Lubricant on Performance

Tests conducted with Forane

427A, R-438A, R-422D

0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 1.1 0°F 25°F 50°F R-427A / MO R-427A / POE R-422D / MO R-422D / POE R-438A / MO R-438A / POE Box Temperature (o_F) C O P (r e la ti v e t o m a x) C a p a c it y (r e la ti v e t o m a x) 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 1.1 0°F 25°F 50°F

• Forane 427A provided best performance across range of conditions • Using POE increases COP and Capacity

CASE STUDIES

Air-Conditioning

Without Oil-Change: Solar Supply Warehouse, Lake Charles, LA

Refrigeration

Retrofit to Forane

®

427A – No Oil Change

Solar Supply Warehouse Office

● 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

Retrofit to Forane

®

427A – Oil Change to POE

Results:

● Reduced operating cost

– 7% reduction

● Case temperatures maintained at desired setpoints

● Low discharge temperatures

Sherm’s Thunderbird

● Application: Supermarket Refrigeration (MT & LT) – 3 systems: low-temp, frozen food,

deli cases & heat reclaim

● Mineral Oil replaced with POE ● No replacement of TXVs

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-22 2. 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

R-22 Retrofit Resources

For more information on Arkema’s R-22 Retrofit Solutions,

please visit our website at www.r22retrofits.com

Other useful links:

● Arkema’s N.A. Website: www.forane-us.com

● Forane Refrigerant Training: http://americas.forane.com/en/forane-refrigerants/forane-tech-center/training/index.html

● Forane® PT App – Now supports 8 languages!

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/forane-p-t-calculator/id592887608?mt=8 Androids:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Forane.Forane&feature=s earch_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5Gb3JhbmUuRm9yYW5lIl0

Technical Service: 1-800-738-7695