BITZER: Refrigerant report 19
Stratospheric ozone depletion as well as atmospheric greenhouse effect due to refrigerant emissions have led to drastic changes in the refrigeration and air conditioning technology since the beginning of the 1990s.
This is especially true for the area of commercial refrigeration and A/C plants with their wide range of applications. In former years the main refrigerants used for these systems were ozone depleting types, namely R12, R22 and R502; for special applications R114, R12B1, R13B1, R13 and R503 were used.
With the exception of R22 the use of these chemicals is not allowed any more in industrialised countries. In the European Union, however, an early phase-out was already enforced in several steps. The main reason for this early ban of R22 contrary to the international agreement is the ozone depletion potential although it is only small.
Since 2010, phase-out regulations got effective in other countries as well, in the USA for instance.
Due to this situation enormous consequences result for the whole refrigeration and air conditioning sector. BITZER therefore committed itself to taking a leading role in the research and development of environ-mentally benign system designs. Read more