Last Updated on August 28, 2024 by KC Wong
In Singapore’s pursuit of sustainable refrigeration practices, use of greener & lower GWP cold room refrigerants for cold rooms present unique challenges and opportunities.These facilities, critical for maintaining temperature-sensitive products such as food, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals, are transitioning towards low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants globally. Here’s a closer look at how specific refrigerants are being integrated into cold room construction and the associated considerations.
Adoption of Low GWP Refrigerants for cold rooms
Cold rooms traditionally relied on hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) due to their non-flammability and effectiveness in temperature control. Currently the more commonly used cold room HFC refrigerants in Singapore are R507 and R404a. However, HFCs are potent greenhouse gases and targeted for phase-out under international agreements. In response, HVAC/R consultants in Singapore are increasingly considering alternatives with lower GWPs, such as:
- R-448A and R-449A (HFO & HFC blends): These blends have GWPs significantly lower than traditional HFCs like R-404A, making them popular choices for retrofitting existing cold rooms. They offer a balance of performance and environmental benefits while walking along the end of boundaries of our current local safety regulations.
- Hydrocarbons (HCs) like propane (R-290) and isobutane (R-600a): Despite being flammable, these natural refrigerants have very low GWPs and already used in domestic refrigerators in our kitchens. However, when used in cold room build ups, these refrigerants poses far more fire risk as the copper pipe runs to condensing unit locations are long and not are localized like in household fridges.
At present, the flammability of these new low GWP refrigerants makes adoption for cold room unfeasible in Singapore local context. This is especially so with the stringent fire safety measures on Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on building of new cold rooms even when using conventional HFC refrigerants.
Future Outlook for Greener Cold Room Refrigerants and Technological Advancements.
Innovations in refrigeration equipment technology and further research into development of newer, more energy efficient and lower refrigerants continue to drive progress towards sustainability in world wide. Many in the refrigerant industry believe that usage of CO2 (with GWP of 1) as the default refrigerant world wide will be an eventuality.
However, usage of CO2 for refrigeration systems in a hot equatorial climate like Singapore poses many challenges including energy efficiency, high system set up cost, shortage of CO2 trained hands on technicians are all hurdles to overcome.
In the transition period, research into next-generation refrigerants, including low-toxicity and mildly flammable alternatives like HFOs (hydrofluoroolefins), holds promise for further reducing environmental impact while maintaining safety standards. These HFOs refrigerants include, R1234yf & R1234ze.
New HFO refrigerants
R1234ze & R1234yf
If you want to explore more on greener refrigerants for your new cold room, do contact us at Roller Asia. Bock compressors which we distribute includes a range developed for Low GWP refrigerants and even for CO2! Feel free to consult us for more information.