Development of ODS/F-GAS Certification
System in Croatia
1999 Start
UNIDO – Refrigerant Management Plan - RMP
In agreement with:
• Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical
Planning and Construction
• University of Zagreb - Faculty of Mechanical
Engineering and Naval Architecture - FMENA
• APO - Consulting and engineering in environmental
protection agency
RMP Tasks:
I. to establish four Local Training Centers
(Osijek, Rijeka, Split and Zagreb)
II. to establish four Local Reclaiming Centers
(Osijek, Rijeka, Split and Zagreb)
III. to train Custom Officers
CURRICULUM
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•
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•
•
•
•
•
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Introduction of Ozone issues,
International and local regulations,
Basic principles of refrigeration,
Refrigeration technology with new alternative refrigerants, retrofitting and
drop-in refrigerants, lubricants,
Code of good practice
Recovery and recycling technologies, hand-on training on training rig with
recovery and recycling machines,
Exchange of the refrigerant in the existing unit, hand-on training,
Reclaiming technology, theoretical issues,
Discussion on certificates and developing of national code of good practice.
LITERATURE
Handbook for service technician
Seminar interactive script, prepared and printed in Training center Zagreb
Training of Technicians
•
Three-day training courses were organized in all four training centers.
• Courses were organized on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Thursday and Friday
training has lasted 8 school hours (8x45min) and on Saturday 6 school hours.
• Attendees were also provided by a interactive „Seminar script” and by a Handbook
for service technician.
•
Courses consisted of two parts,
theoretical and practical part
• At the end of every course an
examination-test was performed and if
it was not successful, an additional
training was organized so that all
attendees have successfully completed
the course.
Equipment:
• demonstration training rig, refrigeration unit
• recovery set
• recycle set
• vacuum pump
• freon cylinders
• hand tool
Participants that have attended courses in all 4 centers
•
RMP course
Retrofit course
Custom officers course
~ 3400
370
180
All technicians that have successfully
completed the course were awarded by a
Certificate of training.
• Certificates are signed by a director of the
institution in which Training centres are
organized and by a leader of the Training
centre.
II. Local Reclaiming Centers
Reclaiming Center Activities
 Recovering
 Recycling
• Moisture removal
• Oil removal
• Impurities removal
 Reclaiming
• Removal of noncondensing gases
• Removal of acids
• Chemical analysis
• Reusable Freon Certificating
 Reuse of reclaimed ODS
 Decomposition and neutralization of CFCs
 Reporting
 Export of waste refrigerant
III. Custom Officers Training
 One-day Course were organized and held at the Training Center Zagreb
 Lectures were consisted of two parts, theoretical and practical part
 Handbook for Custom Officers, prepared in Training Center Zagreb in
cooperation with Ministry of environmental protection and physical planning and
Ministry of Finance, Custom Administration
 Contents of the Handbook:
• Protection of the Ozone Layer
• Ozone Depleting Substances Legislative
• Preventing Illegal Trade
• Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning devices and Refrigerants
• Refrigerant Identifier RI-2002PA
 Total number of Custom Officers that have attended to the
course in Croatia is 18 persons.
ACTUAL SYSTEM
CERTIFICATION OF TECHNICIANS
Handling the ODS and F-Gases
National Regulation
Thematic meeting on ODS/F-gas legislation and certification of technicians, Zagreb, Croatia, 4-5 June 2012
CURRENT STATUS – Certification of technicians
Official gazette 130/10 - Air protection act

Article 67
• licence requirement: for companies which performs recovery, leakage
checking, maintenance or servicing of the equipment and systems
containing ODSs or F-gases
• other requirements: registerd as servicing company, employs one or more
adequately trained and certified workers, posses recovery equipment.
 Article 72 (in accordance with Article 5 of EC No. 842/2006), personnel
involved in installation, maintenance or servicing of the equipment and
systems as regards
• stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment (EC No.
303/2008)
• stationary fire protection systems and fire extinguishers (EC No. 304/2008)
• recovering F-gases from high-voltage switchgear (EC No. 305/2008)
• recovering F-gases from gas-based solvents (EC No. 306/2008)
• ac systems in motor vehicles (EC No. 307/2008)
Have an obligation to obtain a Certificate for successful completion of the
training programme.
National regulation – Certification of technicians
 Training of personnel

Educational institutions, refrigeration associations, institutes with
• approval of Ministry of Environmental and Nature protection for period of 5
years
• employment of qualified trainers
• adequate facility area at disposal
• technical equipment at disposal
• posses administration personel

Minimum qualification of trainers (theoretical&practical part):
• mechanical engineer with
• 10 years experiance in filed (RAC and heat pump, fire protection systems
etc)

Minimum qualification of trainers (practical part):
• more than 10 years experiance in maintenance or servicing of the
equipment and systems
National regulation – Certification of technicians
 Technicians prequalifications
o
o
o
o
age 18+
technical vocation high school education (mechnical, electrical etc.)
high school education and 1 year experiance in maintenance or servicing
elementary school and 5 years experiance
 Training programme
o stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment (EC
Regulation 842/2007)
• Category I
• Category II
• Category III
• Category IV
o stationary fire protection systems and fire extinguishers
o recovering F-gases from high-voltage switchgear
o recovering F-gases from gas-based solvents
o ac systems in motor vehicles (MAC)
National regulation – Certification of technicians
 Assesment
o Evaluation committee – delegated by Ministry
• president, examiners and one Ministry member
• prepares the lists of questions
o Location of assesment are the premesis of educational institutions
o Theoretical part of exam – 60 min
o Practical part of exam – 180 min
o Assesment criteria – all of the modules have to be evaluated with
grade “passed”
• in each module >50% of all questions have to be answered
correctly
• for 2 modules “failed” in total, candidate can test again the
knowledge in this modules
 Permanent education programme
o Renewal of licence – 5 years
o changes in legislation, directives, norms
o novelties in technology (refrigerants, materials etc)
o refrigerants (natural and new synthetic)
o new detection methods, recovery, recycling and
procedures
o refrigerant disposal
o RRR scheme
reclaiming
National regulation – Certification of technicians
 All private legal entities (persons) that were
awarded by a certificate through the RMP
certification scheme are to be awarded by a
certificate for Category III, IV and mobile air
conditioning (MAC) according to the new scheme.
Thank You!
Tonko Ćurko, PhD
tonko.curko@fsb.hr