Heatcraft Australia is leading the industry with a R22 buy-back program, aimed at alleviating refrigerant contamination risks inherent in product reuse.
"We have been hearing from the market that some contractors are recovering R22 from decommissioned units and using this refrigerant to top up other equipment,”according to John Morgan, Heatcraft Australia’s refrigerants production manager. “There are many risks in recycling R22 into other systems.”
The AHRI700 standard requires recovered or recycled refrigerant to be tested for purity before reuse.
In 2013, Australia’s R22 consumption was 830 million tonnes, according to the Department of Environment and the Expert Group’s 2014 HFC Industry Consultation Paper. This year, Australia’s HCFC import quota allows an R22 maximum import amount of 182m tonnes.
Future availability of R22 is dependent on the demand for R22, which is affected by the rate of transition to alternative products and whether quality recycled sources become available. Last year, it was estimated that 250m tonnes of R22 was reused.
Heatcraft Australia analyses all cylinders when they arrive at their Gas2Go refrigerant decanting facility at Milperra in Sydney’s South West.
"The R22 we receive back for processing and purification contains a wide range of impurities that can affect the performance and life of your existing equipment. Some contractors believe a drier will purify the refrigerant back to specification, but this is rarely the case,” Morgan said.
"Driers will remove a certain level of contamination, specifically moisture and particulates, but a quality refrigerant will not be produced by a drier alone. Non-condensables, oils and acidity will remain.
"Refrigerant that contains high levels of moisture can cause synthetic oils to break down producing by-products that are corrosive to copper and aluminium componentry. This can shorten the life of the compressor and transfer coils.
"Product which is returned for processing through the recycling scheme often has high levels of non-condensables, chlorides and acidity. Without this refrigerant being thoroughly purified, there is a risk of this refrigerant causing damage when added to new equipment,” he added.
Heatcraft currently offers two avenues for recycling and reprocessing reclaimed R22 - either through Refrigerant Reclaim Australia or through the Heatcraft Gas2Go R22 Refrigerant Buy-Back program.
From June 30, 2014, RRA will be paying $3/kg on reclaimed refrigerant including R22.
"Heatcraft understands the importance of reclaimed R22 to the industry and offers Gas2Go customers a generous premium over current RRA rates – subject to quality requirements,” Heatcraft ANZ marketing director, Gavin Tory explained.
"The Gas2Go R22 Refrigerant Buy-Back ensures safe handling, recovery and value for recovered refrigerant. Payment is credited via Recipient Created Tax Invoice (RCTI) paid directly into the customer’s account.”
Together with R22 Buy-Back, the Heatcraft Gas2Go Total Management System also includes the option of Gas2Go Club Membership.
"Heatcraft is also leading the market by offering unused gas credit to customers as part of the Gas2Go Club offer.
"Members can return their Heatcraft supplied refrigerant cylinders and receive a credit for their unused refrigerant. This gives members the flexibility to manage their refrigerant holdings and receive valuable payment for their part-used cylinders.”
For information on the R22 Refrigerant Buy-back Program or Gas2Go Club Membership, call 13 23 50.