HFCs: A Critical Link in Protecting
Climate and the Ozone Layer
Alternatives to high-GWP HFCs
UNEP side-event, Montreal Protocol
MoP-23, 21 November 2011
In last decade, reports by TEAP and government
bodies have examined low-GWP alternatives
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Methods for reducing the climate influence of
high-GWP HFCs have been identified - 1
High-GWP HFC are used predominantly as ODS
alternatives in refrigeration, air-conditioning, foam products,
fire protection, aerosols, solvent applications
 In last decade, many reports by UNEP technical
committees and government bodies* have identified
methods to reduce climate influence of high-GWP HFCs
1. Best practices to reduce HFC emissions (containment)
o Modifications in the design of products to reduce leakage and
reduce quantity of HFC used in each unit.
o Improvements in technical procedures and management to
reduce HFC emissions during life-cycle, including capture
and/or destruction of HFCs at end-of-life
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* For example, EC 2008; EPA 2006, 2010; FTOC 2011; GTZ 2008, 2009; IPCC-TEAP 2005; RTOC 2011; TEAP 1999,
2009, 2010; UBA 2011; UNEP 2010abc.
Methods for reducing the climate influence of
high-GWP HFCs have been identified - 2
2. Alternative technologies with zero or low GWPs
fall into 3 categories:
 Alternative methods and processes (not-in-kind)
Commercially used examples: fibre insulation, dry-powder
asthma inhalers, architectural designs that avoid the need
for air-conditioning.
 Non-HFC substances with low-GWPs
Commercially used examples: hydrocarbons, ammonia,
carbon dioxide, nitrogen, dimethyl ether, others.
 Low-GWP HFCs
HFCs with lifetimes less than a few months (low GWPs) are
being introduced, e.g. HFC-1234ze, 1234yf, 1336mzz.
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Low-GWP alternatives and lifecycle carbon
emissions
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Dr Ravishankara’s presentation showed that alternatives
with lifetimes <several months and low GWPs offer
greatest potential to reduce HFC influence on climate
To gain climate benefits of alternative systems, their total
(direct and indirect) lifecycle carbon emissions need to be
lower than lifecycle emissions of HFC systems they
replace
TEAP reported that specific low-GWP alternatives
achieve equal or superior energy-efficiency compared to
HFC systems in some sectors
e.g. domestic refrigeration, commercial refrigeration, some
air-conditioning systems: MAC, small AC units, small and
large reciprocating chillers <7,000 kW, scroll chillers 101600 KW, screw chillers 100-7000 kW
Low-GWP alternatives are used commercially
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Low-GWP alternatives exist for some applications, but
are not suitable in other applications
Further substantial R&D is needed to provide effective
and affordable alternatives and relevant infrastructure
Alternatives comprise very small % of market in some
sectors e.g. refrigerated transport, air-conditioning in
public buildings, spray foam
But alternatives are significant % of global market in
some sectors …
Existing low-GWP alternatives could be expanded to
additional companies and locations in the near term, if
more companies and stakeholders took necessary
steps
Low-GWP alternatives form a significant
percentage of global market in some applications
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Examples of alternatives used commercially in
specific applications
Refrigeration
Ammonia (R-717), ammonia/carbon dioxide,
ammonia/water absorption, hydrocarbons (R-290
propane, R-600a isobutane, R-1270 propene), carbon
dioxide (R-744), water (R-718), adsorption/absorption,
cryogenic systems using nitrogen or carbon dioxide,
eutectic plates based on frozen salt solution
Air-conditioning in buildings
Ammonia, ammonia/dimethyl ether, hydrocarbons,
carbon dioxide, water, water/lithium bromide adsorption,
zeolite/water adsorption, dessicant and evaporative
cooling, microchannel heat exchangers, architectural
designs that avoid the need for air-conditioning systems
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Examples of alternatives used commercially in
specific applications
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Foam sector
Liquid carbon dioxide, CO2/water, CO2/ethanol,
CO2/hydrocarbons, isobutane, isopentane, cyclopentane,
n-pentane, various pentane blands, dimethyl ether,
methyl formate, formic acide, chlorinated hydrocarbons,
vacuum technology, HFC-1234ze, mechanical processes,
fibreglass, silicates, cellulose, wool, other fibrous
insulation materials
Solvent sector
Aqueous systems, semi-aqueous mixtures,
hydrocarbons, alcohols, solvent-free cleaning
Fire protection
Water, water mist, dry chemicals, foams, CO2, nitrogen,
argon, fluoroketone, improved monitoring systems
Case study: Alternatives used in manufacture of
domestic refrigerators and freezers
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Hydrocarbon technology is used in ~36% global fridge
production; expected to reach ~75% by 2020
Energy-efficient HC fridges are manufactured in many
countries e.g. Argentina, China, Denmark, France,
Hungary, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Mexico,
Russia, Swaziland, Turkey, Brazil
Photos: HC fridges manufactured in China and Swaziland
Case study: Alternatives used in manufacture of
small air-conditioning units
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Hydrocarbon technology adapted for small AC units
Production started in China in 2011, mainly exported to
Europe. Planned in India and other countries
High energy-efficiency rating, sophisticated safety
mechanisms
180,000 such units would prevent ~560,000 tonnes
CO2eq direct lifecycle emissions.
Photos: UNEP DTIE, GIZ
Case study: Supermarkets and food companies
have pledged to use low-GWP alternatives
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>800,000 hydrocarbon ice-cream freezer cabinets installed by food
company in Europe, Latin America, Asia
>420,000 HC or CO2 bottle vending machines installed by soft
drinks companies in China, Europe, Latin America
Supermarkets in Europe have installed ~2000 CO2 systems, ~80
ammonia systems and ~70 hydrocarbon systems.
A major supermarket chain uses alternatives in 80 stores (UK,
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand,
USA), aims for 150 stores by 2012
Photo: CO2 & ammonia supermarket refrigeration South Africa. Shecco, UBA
Case study: Developments in vehicle AC (MAC)
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MAC accounts for ~24% global GWP-weighted HFC
consumption, large % emissions
Car manufacturers have evaluated HFC-152a(GWP 133),
CO2 (GWP 1) and HFC-1234yf (GWP 4)
TEAP anticipates that companies’ decisions likely to be
based on GWP, energy-efficiency, regulatory approval,
costs, reliability, safety, other factors
US EPA plans to remove HFC-134a from SNAP list for
new vehicles. National CO2 emission-reduction targets for
fleet vehicles will allow credits for HFC reductions
EU MAC Directive prohibits refrigerant >150 GWP in
new-type cars & light trucks approved from Jan 2011, all
new vehicles from 2017
There are barriers to alternatives, but also many
ways to overcome them
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Technical reports have identified barriers to further
adoption of alternatives, such as:
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Lack of suitable alternatives in specific sectors
Safety risks due to toxicity and flammability
Regulations and standards
Insufficient technical know-how in companies
Investment costs
Existing commercial uses of alternatives demonstrated
that barriers can be overcome, by activities such as:
R&D, revised technical standards, training and
technical assistance, development of infrastructure
There is no ‘one-size-fits all’ solution
Technical guidance on selecting alternatives and
overcoming barriers
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Going forward
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HFCs help to protect ozone layer, but increasing use will
undermine the significant climate benefits achieved by
ODS phase-out to date
Substantial amount of information about alternatives has
been evaluated in existing reports. Synthesis and update
is desirable; identify and target gaps
Further work needed to take advantage of alternatives,
for example:
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Updating estimates of climate influence of future HFC
scenarios
Further analyse barriers, and how to overcome them
Further examine lifecycle impacts of options
This and other work is likely to identify more sustainable
options for protecting ozone and global climate
Summary
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There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ alternative
Some low-GWP alternatives are used commercially in
specific applications, different geographic regions
Existing systems could be used more widely
In some sectors there are no suitable low-GWP
alternatives at present, but further alternatives are
under development
There are barriers to the adoption of alternatives
But existing commercial uses of alternatives have
demonstrated how barriers can be overcome
Going forward: consolidating existing information,
addressing key gaps and barriers