On April 27th 2007 an article appeared on the front page
of the Jakarta Post which highlighted an issue I have been
concerned about for some time, the widespread use of banned
CFCs in Indonesia. It was good to see that finally this serious
issue is in the spotlight.
First we need to understand about refrigerants (freon), the
gases used to make refrigerators work. There are a number
of different gasses used but the nasty one we need to know
about is R12 (also known as Freon 12).
For you chemistry buffs R12 is dichlorodiflouromethane which
is a chloroflourocarbon halomethane. To the rest of us it
is a CFC. R12 is used in refrigerators and as an aerosol propellant.
CFCs cause serious damage to the ozone layer that protects
us from harmful UV radiation from the sun.
Now before you start having nightmares of hot sticky nights
under a fan I should point out that for many purposes including
air conditioners, hydroflourocarbons (HCFCs) are used. HCFCs
are substantially less damaging to the ozone layer than CFCs
but still contain ozone destroying chlorine. In addition the
manufacture of HCFCs results in a by product that contributes
significantly to global warming.
In 1987 under the Montreal agreement a worldwide phaseout
in the manufacture of CFCs was agreed by “developed”
nations and its manufacture was discontinued in 1995 because
it is destroying the ozone layer. Unfortunately many nations
are not classified as “developed” including India,
China and, of course, Indonesia.
Unfortunately 12 years on and Indonesia is still using large
quantities of the stuff. Indonesia has an allowance of 400
tons of CFC per year but is in fact using 4,000 tons a year
which is produced in China. The allowance is presumably to
avoid hardship because of widespread ownership of old equipment
that uses R12.
R12 is widely used in Indonesia in car air conditioning systems
and refrigerators. If you buy a new home refrigerator it will
probably be CFC free. It may say so on a label on the outside.
Commercial refrigerators that have been regssed will probably
use R12. A substitute chemical R134a is in fact available
but unfortunately R134a is between 2 and 3 times the price
of R12.
It is fairly easy to check what is being used. If you see
an air conditioning or refrigeration technician he may be
carrying a steel canister about 33cms high and 24cms in diameter
and painted light beige or green. On the side of the canister
will be a printed circle within which are the letters R12,
R22 or R134a.
R12 is a banned CFC. R22 is an HCFC currently legally used
and R134a is the legal substitute for R12. If you ask your
technician he may tell you that a canister with R12 on the
side actually contains R134a – it probably won’t
since the canisters are not supposed to be refilled.
HCFCs are also due to be phased out over the next ten to twelve
years under the Montreal agreement and replaced by other chemicals
most notably R410A.
What does freon do?
Well basically it evaporates and condenses easily and at a
convenient temperature.
In the internal unit of a split air conditioner liquid freon
absorbs heat from the room and evaporates. The gas then runs
along a pipe to the condensor/compressor in the external unit
where it is pumped up to a higher pressure to condense it
back to liquid. As it condenses it gives off heat which is
blown away by the fan. (Boyle’s Law and all that.) The
freon is then pumped back to the internal unit where the pressure
is released allowing it to expand. Again the freon evaporates
soaking up heat and the cycle continues ad nauseum.
Unfortunately freon is pretty thin stuff and, being under
pressure, has a tendency to leak out easily. Bad for the environment
and bad for you because you have to get it refilled now and
then.
So what can we do?
Buy CFC free refrigerators.
Do not allow R12 (in a light beige canister) to be used in
your refrigerator or car air conditioning system. Request
the substitute R134a is used instead.
This may be difficult but we have to start somewhere. Unless
we, the customers, start to demand action then the air conditioning
mechanics will continue to use what they can buy readily and
cheaply.
You also need to be aware that you cannot simply replace the
gas with the substitute. New cars and refrigerators will probably
be CFC free but once serviced will probably have R12 in them.
If R12 has been used some work may be needed to replace it
with R134a. It may be necessary to change the operating oil
in the compressor, probably the seals and fittings and perhaps
the compressor itself may have to be changed.
As I have already said air conditioners are not a worry for
the time being because they use HCFCs usually in the form
of R22 (in a light green canister).
The Indonesian government has tried to address the issue by
supplying a number of processing machines across the country
to be used to salvage and recycle CFCs. This is probably ineffective.
It is highly probable that the mechanic at your local bengkel
probably would never have heard of such a machine, would not
know where to find one and certainly wouldn’t bother
to use one if he could. When working on cooling equipment
the gas is usually released into the atmosphere. The customer
pays the bill for regassing and the bengkel makes more money.
Perhaps we can all help to get the message out and help to
save our planet.
Phil Wilson
Phil Wilson a project director for Focus Indonesia and a partner
of MrFixit property maintenance services. Opinions expressed
are those of Phil Wilson. If you have any questions or comments
related to property maintenance he can be contacted at the
office on 0361 288 789 or through the website at www.mrfixitbali.com
Copyright@2007 Fixed Abode
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