Nonprofit Report Demonstrates Food Retailer Demand for Natural Refrigerant Condensing Units

Survey Highlights Opportunity to Transition Existing Facilities to Climate-Friendly Refrigerants

Mill Valley, California — The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working in partnership with the supermarket industry to advance the use of climate-friendly natural refrigerants, has released a report summarizing US food retailer preferences for natural refrigerant-based condensing unit technologies.

“The most significant takeaway from the report is that it demonstrates a strong demand for natural refrigerant-based condensing unit technologies in the US, with 100 percent of participating retailers indicating interest,” comments Danielle Wright, executive director of North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council.

NASRC conducted a survey of 13 major food retailers representing more than 17,000 US locations to characterize retailer demand for natural refrigerant-based condensing units. The report summarizes retailer preferences for CO2-and-propane-based condensing unit product applications, load type and corresponding capacity ranges (MBTUs), condensing medium, as well as other considerations and requirements.

Another key finding is the potential for existing stores, with almost 80% of retailers surveyed were interested in condensing unit applications for existing stores. The majority indicated a preference for CO2-based condensing units to serve medium temperature refrigerated display cases.

“The real challenge is how to accelerate emissions reduction in the 38,000 stores that exist today,” said Danielle Wright, NASRC executive director. “We need solutions that can be phased in as part of the normal equipment replacement schedule and serve the refrigeration capacity expansion that is happening across the food retail sector today due to the rise in online shopping.”

Food retailers are facing increasing regulatory pressures at the international, federal, and state levels to transition to climate-friendly natural refrigerants, including ammonia, CO2, and propane. Today, the vast majority of stores are using hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants, which are considered super greenhouse gases and have thousands of times more global warming potential (GWP) than natural refrigerants. Transitioning away from harmful HFCs to natural refrigerants is not so simple as it requires replacing the entire refrigeration system, which is unfeasible from a cost and, many times, technical perspective. Retailers need cost-effective, modular technology options that allow them to migrate their refrigeration loads and displace the existing system over time.

Natural refrigerant-based condensing units, using Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Propane, are an ideal option due to their ability to serve unique load types and reduce overall GWP of the system. Despite increasing interest from food retailers, very few product options are available in the US market compared to Europe and Asia.

“Ultimately, our goal is to bring more natural refrigerant product solutions to the US market,” said Wright. “This report was the first step in bridging the information gap by leveraging our strong network of stakeholders.”

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About North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council

The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to advance climate-friendly natural refrigerants in supermarkets. The organization works with stakeholders from across the supermarket refrigeration industry, including over 28,000 food retail locations in the US, to eliminate the barriers preventing the adoption of natural refrigerants. For additional information, please visit www.nasrc.org.

R290 Charge Limit Increase - What's Next?

Last year, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60336-2-89 standard was updated to increase the charge limit for A3 refrigerants - including R-290 (Propane) and R-600a (Isobutane) - to 500g at the international level. Since then, a CANENA technical harmonization committee has been working to adapt the IEC standard in the US, where the charge limit is still 150g.

NASRC recently co-hosted a member Q&A session on the pending charge limit increase in the US with Charlie Hon, who currently serves as the chairman for the CANENA committee. Here’s a few updates on the status and next steps to increase the R290 charge limit in the US:

• CANENA - The CANENA committee has drafted an update to the UL 60335-2-89 standard, which would increase the charge limit for A3 refrigerants to 300g for self-contained systems with doors or drawers and 500g for other self-contained systems (e.g., open cases) in the US.

• UL - The draft update has been submitted to UL, and in the next few months it will be sent out for a public comment period and the UL committee will vote to approve it. The standard is expected to be approved by Q1 2021. 

In addition to the UL standard update, the following steps must be completed before the larger A3 charge sizes are allowable:

• EPA SNAP - EPA SNAP must accept the larger charge sizes before they can be sold. The CANENA committee will submit an application to EPA SNAP as soon as the updated UL standard is approved.

• ASHRAE 15 - The ASHRAE 15 standard must be revised to include the larger charge sizes. This effort is being done in coordination with the CANENA committee.

• Building Codes - National Building and Fire Codes will need to be modified. The next code cycle takes place in 2022.

All of these steps are expected to be completed by 2022 at the earliest, at which point the higher A3 charge sizes would be approved for use.

So what does all of this mean? Basically, a future with higher R290 charge sizes in self-contained equipment is on the horizon, but there is still work to be done.

IEC Releases Draft Proposal for Increased Charge Limit for Flammable Refrigerants

Last month, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) released their draft proposal to raise the maximum charge size for flammable refrigerants in commercial self-contained cases from 150 grams to 500 grams. This marks another significant step forward for the NASRC's work to change standards to increase the maximum charge limit for R290 use in self-contained equipment, one of the goals of the Codes & Standards progress group.

Why Does a Higher Charge Limit Matter?

According to Marek Zgliczynski, Chair of the IEC subcommittee responsible for developing the proposal, this standard, known as IEC60335-2-89, "is the basis for all regional and national product standards for household or similar commercial-type applications.” The proposed change will "increase the maximum allowable charge of flammable refrigerants in [commercial self-contained display cases], while maintaining the same safety level of the present standard with 150 grams," explains Zgliczynski.

The current charge limit of 150 grams is severely limiting the use of propane self-contained systems in the US. While 150 grams of propane is adequate for small-to-medium-sized display cases, the larger display cases that are prevalent in this country need more propane for cost-effective operation

The main concerns about higher propane charge sizes relate to safety, as is to be expected with an A3 refrigerant. The specific requirements in the IEC’s proposal ensure that cases with 500 grams of propane are as safe as those with 150 grams. These requirements include the following:

• The refrigerant circuit must be hermetically sealed and mechanically protected;

• Construction cannot cause excessive vibrations of circuit piping;

• Airflow is required to avoid flammable concentration beyond the boundary of appliance, certified with a special leak test; and

• Appliance must be installed in a room with a floor area not less than the marked minimum room area.

 What’s Next? 

The proposal has to pass two stages of voting, the first of which will close mid-July. The IEC is accepting comments from stakeholders at http://www.iec.ch/comment/ until that time. The NASRC will provide instructions to members on how to submit comments and template language that members may use to express support for the IEC proposal.

If the draft proposal receives a two-thirds majority in the first vote, it will move to the second and final stage of voting. If the proposal passes the final stage, a new edition of IEC60335-2-89 will be published in early 2019.

Zgliczynski noted that, "this new standard will allow for systems manufacturers to comply with present and future regulations phasing out high-GWP refrigerants globally in this specific market segment."

As state and federal governments ban or phase down high-GWP HFC and HFO-blend refrigerants, commercial refrigerant end-users will need access to technologies that use refrigerants with GWPs below 150. Propane self-contained systems show great potential to meet much of that need. The main hurdle preventing the widespread use of this technology in the US is the slow pace of ASHRAE and UL in revising their standards. The IEC proposal, if passed, is the stimulus that the US standards organizations need to get them moving in the right direction. To encourage ASHRAE and UL to work with the NASRC to speed up their timelines, sign the NASRC petition for faster revision of codes and standards.

NASRC Call to Action 

The NASRC is calling on industry stakeholders to contribute to this initiative with the following activities:

• Submit comments in support of the draft IEC proposal.

• Sign the NASRC petition for the expedited revision of existing codes and standards for low-GWP refrigerants in commercial refrigeration.