Ozone Depletion Substances (Ods) Inventory & Leak Test
If you deal with stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps, fire extinguishers and mobile air conditioning, high voltage switchgear and solvents, you need to know how to deal with fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gas) or ozone depleting substances (ODS) to comply with the law.
Ozone-depleting substances (ODS) are gases that damage the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere. They are being phased out, but can be found in older equipment. These include hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and bromofluorocarbons (halons). Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were once commonly used but are now completely banned.
Uses and sectors
F-gases and ODS are used in a number of sectors, including:
refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps
fire protection systems and fire extinguishers
mobile air conditioning
high voltage switchgear
solvents
specialist sectors
Checking leaks
You should check these parts of the RAC system for leaks:
joints
valves including stems
seals, including seals on replaceable driers and filters
parts of the system subject to vibration
connections to safety or operational devices
How often you test for leaks depends on the type of system. You should test:
every 12 months for systems containing between 3kg and 30kg of F-gases
The specific objectives of the ODS Inventory & Leak Test monitoring were:
1. To improve the environmental management of all ODS and halocarbon alternatives and to reduce their emissions from all industry sectors by:
minimizing emissions during the installation, operation, maintenance, repair, disposal, and decommissioning of systems and equipment;
requiring the practice of recovering and recycling to the maximum extent feasible in all industry use sectors;
identifying, where feasible, appropriate dates for the phase-out of specific uses of CFCs and Halons or, as an alternative, mandate total containment;
developing a strategy for the disposal of surplus CFCs and Halons;
implementing environmental awareness training; and
supporting the use of non-ODS alternatives.
2.To provide consistency for industry and to minimize the impact on other environmental issues. The tasks previously set out in the ODS Inventory & Leak Test monitoring were reviewed and updated, and additional tasks were added as per the recommendations of the Strengthening Program. The tasks were grouped together in accordance with the industry sector to which they apply. These groups are as follows:
General;
Refrigerants;
Solvents;
Fire Protection (Halons);
Aerosols, Sterilants, Laboratory Uses;
Pest Control (Methyl Bromide);
Blowing Agents.
What Are F-Gases
The F-Gases include 3 families of fluorinated chemicals that have very high global warming potential (GWP). The GWPs are typically between 1,000 and 20,000 times higher than that of CO2. The “Kyoto basket”.
F-Gas Recovery
F-Gas Recovery of F-Gases during servicing of equipment or at the end of the product lifecycle. The article specifically targets F-Gas users with stationary applications in 6 market areas:
Refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump equipment
Fire protection systems
Systems using F-Gas solvents
High voltage switchgear using SF6
Non-refillable containers
Mobile air-conditioning units
If F-Gases are used in these applications the operator must ensure that the gases are not vented to atmosphere during servicing or decommissioning at the end of life. F-Gases recovered must be sent for recycling, reclamation or destruction. There are no size thresholds defined, so the rule applies to equipment with <3kg.
