REAL Zero – Reducing refrigerant emissions & leakage- feedback from the IOR Project

In October 2007, Jane Gartshore’s Presidential Address highlighted the significant problems associated
with leakage of HFC and HCFC type refrigerants. Refrigerant leakage has an adverse impact on climate
change both directly because these refrigerants are very powerful greenhouse gases, and also
indirectly because leaking systems are less energy efficient. There are also high financial penalties
associated with the additional energy and service costs, downtime, and food wastage or lost
production.
In recent years awareness of the issue has increased significantly both through the implementation of
the European Ozone Depleting Substances and Fluorinated Gas (F-Gas) Regulation and the activities of
the Institute of Refrigeration. The Regulations aim to improve containment of HFC refrigerants
through leak testing, engineer qualification and record keeping. The Institute of Refrigeration has
provided practical information to help industry comply with the F-Gas Regulation and make a real
reduction in refrigerant leakage. This has been achieved mainly through the REAL Zero (Refrigerant
Emissions And Leakage Zero) project. This paper summarises Real Zero, provides background
literature on the global issue of refrigerant leakage, gives some up to date information from the
analysis of current F-Gas use in installed systems and leakage record data, and provides a discussion on
the way forward.