ASHRAEStandard15:Proposed

ChangestoIncorporate2LRefrigerants
PhillipJohnson,P.E.
ASHRAEMember
McQuay International
McQuayInternational
Staunton,VA
San Antonio, Texas
2012 Annual Conference

LearningObjectivesforthisSession
DescribethechangestoASHRAEStandard15thatareunderconsideration
toallowtheuseof2Lrefrigerants.
DescribethechangestoISO5149andEN378thatareunderconsideration
to allow the use of 2L refrigerants
toallowtheuseof2Lrefrigerants.
DescribethechangestoULStandardsthatareunderconsiderationtoallow
theuseof2Lrefrigerants.
Provide a comparison of the approaches being proposed in the US and the
ProvideacomparisonoftheapproachesbeingproposedintheUSandthe
EUrelativetotheapplicationofmildlyflammablerefrigerants.
ProvidewellinformedcommentsonproposedchangestoASHRAE,ISO,and
y
p
ULStandardswhentheyarecirculatedforpublicreview.
Describetherisksof2Lrefrigerantsrelativetoclass2and3refrigerants.
ASHRAEisaRegisteredProviderwithTheAmericanInstituteofArchitectsContinuingEducationSystems.
Credit earned on completion of this program will be reported to ASHRAE Records for AIA members.
CreditearnedoncompletionofthisprogramwillbereportedtoASHRAERecordsforAIAmembers.
CertificatesofCompletionfornonAIAmembersareavailableonrequest.
ThisprogramisregisteredwiththeAIA/ASHRAEforcontinuingprofessionaleducation.Assuch,itdoes
notincludecontentthatmaybedeemedorconstruedtobeanapprovalorendorsementbytheAIAofany
materialofconstructionoranymethodormannerofhandling,using,distributing,ordealinginany
y
g,
g,
g,
g
y
materialorproduct.Questionsrelatedtospecificmaterials,methods,andserviceswillbeaddressedat
theconclusionofthispresentation.

Seminar11
St d d D l
StandardsDevelopmentfor2LFlammableRefrigerants
t f 2L Fl
bl R f i
t
1. ASHRAEStandard15:ProposedChangesto
Incorporate2LRefrigerants
2. ISO5149,IEC60335240:ProposedChangesto
Incorporate2LRefrigerants
3. UL'sEfforttoHarmonizeProductSafety
RequirementsforA2L,A2,andA3Refrigerants

Introduction
Environmentalconsiderationsarereducingthenumberofchemicals
thatcanbeusedasrefrigerants.TheHFCswereintroducedtoreplace
ozonedepletingCFCsandHCFCs,buttheyaregreenhousegasesandare
subjecttouserestrictionsinsomecountries.Asaresulttheindustryis
evaluatingchemicalswithverylowglobalwarmingpotential.Someof
thesechemicalsaremildlyflammableandhavebeenassignedtoanew
flammabilitysafetyclassification,2L,inASHRAEStandard34.Thisseminar
providesinformationonthechangestostandardsthatspecify
requirementsfortheuseof2Lflammablerefrigerants.
Type of standards
Refrigeration Safety
Classification
y
Safetyy
System

Equipment Safety

US
ASHRAE 34
UL 2182
ASHRAE 15
UL 207
UL 250
UL 471
UL 474
UL 484
UL 984
UL 1995
UL 60335-2-34
UL 60335-2-40

Europe

International

---

ISO 817

EN 378

ISO 5149

EN 60335-2-34
EN 60335-2-40

IEC 60335-2-34
IEC 60335-2-40

Abbreviations & Nomenclature

Abbreviations&Nomenclature
AIT=AutoIgnitionTemperature
ATEL=AcuteToxicityExposureLimit
CFD=ComputationalFluidDynamics
FCL = Flammable Concentration Limit
FCL=FlammableConcentrationLimit
FDIS=FinalDraftInternationalStandard
HOC=HeatOfCombustion
LEL/UEL=Lower/UpperExplosionLimit
LFL/UFL=Lower/UpperFlammabilityLimit
LOC Li iti O
LOC=LimitingOxygenConcentration
C
t ti
MIE=MinimumIgnitionEnergy
ODL=OxygenDeprivationLimit
yg
p
RCL=RefrigerantConcentrationLimit
SU =BurningVelocity

What Are 2L
WhatAre
2L Refrigerants?
Refrigerants?
Asafetygroupclassification
A
safety group classification
usedbyseveralrefrigerant
designationstandards:
ASHRAEStandard342010
ISO817:201x
(draft,FDISregisteredforformalapproval,
(d
f FDIS
i
df f
l
l
willreplaceISO817:2005)

from:ASHRAEStandard342010

Flammability Classifications
FlammabilityClassifications

from:ASHRAEStandard342010

Subclass
2L

Class 2
Class2

Class3

Heato
ofCombustion
(kJ/kg)
19000

Low
werFlammabiliityLimit
(kg/m)
0.1

What Are 2L
WhatAre
2L Refrigerants?
Refrigerants?
Exhibit
Exhibitflame
flame
propagationwhen
testedat60C
LFL>0.10kg/m
HOC<19000kJ/kgg
SU 0.1m/s

0.1
MaximumBurningVelocity
(m/s)

flame propagation tests per ASTM E 681

flamepropagationtestsperASTME681
burningvelocitytestmethodsinfinalprocessof
standardization(ASHRAERP1583,RP1584)

Current 2L
Current
2L Refrigerants
Refrigerants
PerASHRAE34
Per ASHRAE 342010
2010,Addendumh,Addendumi:
Addendum h Addendum i:
A2L

B2L

R32

R717

R143a
R 1234yf
R1234yf
R1234ze(E)

Futurepossibilityofblends(R4xxorR5xx)or
othersinglecomponentrefrigerants.

Brief History of 2L
BriefHistoryof2L
Initiated
InitiatedbyISO817(firstproposalstarted1999)
by ISO 817 (first proposal started 1999)
RemovedfromfinaldraftofISO817:2005(insufficient
consensusatthattime))
ContinuedtodevelopwithinISO(817and5149)and
ASHRAE
ASHRAE342007Addendumak (2009publicreview,published2010)

ASHRAE342010includedSubclass2L
ASHRAE342010Addendahandi establishedfive2Lrefrigerants

ISOFDIS817:201xwillincludeSubclass2L(tobe
published 2012 or 2013)
published2012or2013)

Risks of Flammable Refrigerants

RisksofFlammableRefrigerants
QuantitativeRiskAssessmentMethods
Risk=Probability
y Severityy

Probabilityofaneventoccurring:
refrigerantleakorreleaseintoair:LFL UFL,LOC(range
Fuel:
offlammablelimits);sizeofflammablevolumeorregion
Oxidant:
thatmaychangesizeandlocationversustime
Ignitionsources:presence,quantity,energylevel(MIE,AIT);maybe
electricorthermal
l ti
th
l

Severityofaneventwhenitoccurs:
Energyrelease:
Energy release:
Quantity:HOC
Rate:SU (chemicalreactionrate);LEL UEL(rangeof
explosion limits)
explosionlimits)
Pressurerise

Risks of Flammable Refrigerants

RisksofFlammableRefrigerants
ASHRAEResearch(activeprojects)
RP1580:StudyofInputParametersForRisk
Assessmentof2LFlammableRefrigerantsin
ResidentialAirConditioningandSmall
CommercialRefrigerationApplications
RP1583:AssessmentofBurningVelocityTest
Methods
RP1584:AssessmentofAlternative
Approaches to Predicting the Burning Velocity
ApproachestoPredictingtheBurningVelocity
ofaRefrigerant

Increasing
probabilit of a
probabilityofa
combustionevent

Subclass
2L

Class 2
Class2

Heato
ofCombustion
(kJ/kg)
19000

Low
werFlammabiliityLimit
(kg/m)
0.1

Risks of Flammable Refrigerants

RisksofFlammableRefrigerants

Class3
0.1
MaximumBurningVelocity
(m/s)

Increasing
severityofa
combustion event
combustionevent

Risks of Flammable Refrigerants

RisksofFlammableRefrigerants
Sta
Standard152010currentlyincludessafety
da d 5 0 0 cu e t y c udes sa ety
requirementsforClass2andClass3refrigerants
Mostoftherequirementshaveexistedformanyyears
Notalwaysdevelopedusingaquantitativeapproach
(noformalriskassessmentcalculations)
Reasonablesuccessiflookingbackovertime
Reasonable success if looking back over time
(empiricaljustification)
Relativelyconservative(riskaverse
y
(
relatively
y
restrictive)

SSPC15nowworkingtodeterminewhatcanbe
relaxedtosafelyallowmorebroaduseof2L
l dt
f l ll
b d
f 2L
refrigerants

Development of Safety Standards

DevelopmentofSafetyStandards
Many
Manyindustriesmustaddresssafetyissues,
industries must address safety issues,
anddevelopappropriatestandardsand
guidelines
Onepossibledevelopmentprocess:
ISO/IECGuide51
/
Safetyaspects Guidelinesfortheirinclusioninstandards
providesstandardswriterswithguidelinesfortheinclusionofsafetyaspectsinstandards
applicabletoanysafetyaspectrelatedtopeople,propertyortheenvironmentaimedatreducing
the risk arising from the use of products processes or services considers the complete life cycle of a
theriskarisingfromtheuseofproducts,processesorservicesconsidersthecompletelifecycleofa
product,processorservice,includingboththeintendeduseandthereasonablyforeseeable
misusesafetyisachievedbyreducingrisktoatolerablelevel

SSPC15notformallyadheringtoGuide51,but
takingasimilarapproach

Development of Safety Standards

DevelopmentofSafetyStandards
ISO/IECGuide51

ASHRAEStandard15Overview BasisofStandard

RefrigerantSafetyClassification
Class1Nonflammable

ClassALowerToxicity

Class2LowerFlammability

ClassBHigherToxicity

Class3HigherFlammability

OccupancyClassification
Institutional

Largemercantile

Publicassembly

Industrial

Residential

Mixed

Commercial

RefrigeratingSystemClassification
Direct

Highprobability

Indirect(openorclosed)

LowProbability

Restrictions on Refrigerant Use

RestrictionsonRefrigerantUse

InstallationRestrictions

DesignandConstructionofEquipment&Systems

OperationandTesting

mustaddresseach
possiblecombination
ofclassifications

Risk Management
RiskManagement
Riskassessment
Risk assessment
Quantitativeanalysisbecomesveryspecificto
each application each scenario each equipment
eachapplication,eachscenario,eachequipment
type

SSPC
SSPC15hasreviewedquantitative
15 has reviewed quantitative
flammabilitytestdataandsomeCFD
modeling but has taken more of a qualitative
modeling,buthastakenmoreofaqualitative
approachtoriskassessment
Complexityduetothescopeofthestandard
Complexity due to the scope of the standard

Safety Factor
SafetyFactor
RCL=min(ATEL,ODL,FCL)
FCL
FCL =25%
25% LFL

Refrigerant

RCLSource

R32

FCL

R143a

FCL

R717

ATEL

R1234yf
R
1234yf

FCL

R1234ze(E)

FCL

SafetyFactor=4relativetoLFL(margintolimit)
Standard15methodologyassumescatastrophic
releaseoflargestrefrigerantcircuitintoavailable
volume of occupied space with instantaneous
volumeofoccupiedspacewithinstantaneous
mixing
Doesnotdirectlyconsiderflammablevolume
y
versustimeorleakrate,soeventprobabilityis
notzero

Standard 15 Approach to 2L
Standard15Approachto2L

Standard 152010
Standard15
2010Addenduma
Addendum a
SSPC15issuedadraftofrevisionstoobtain
commentsandfeedback
t
d f db k

SSPC15nowworkingtoaddressseveralissues
UpcomingslideswillshowselectionsfromtheAPR,
Upcoming slides will show selections from the APR
butnotmorerecentrevisionsnowinprocess

Standard152010

ingeneral,itisveryrestrictive

includes2L,because2Lis
subclassofclass2

Class 2 & 3 Restrictions

Class2&3Restrictions
high
highprobabilitysystem
probability system
isdefinedas:

thisexceptionallows
thi
ti
ll
smallselfcontained
systems,withsome
restrictionsonwhereit
maybelocated,seenext
page

Class2&3Restrictions
ingeneral,itisveryrestrictive

socurrentrevisionallowsuseofA2orA2Lrefrigerants
inselfcontainedsystemswithlessthan3kgor10kg,
dependingonlocationinthebuildinganddepending
p
g
g
p
g
ontheoccupancy(usage)ofthebuilding
seenextpagefordefinitionsofvariousoccupancies
butthismeanssplitsystemsaregenerallynotallowed
duetofieldinstalledrefrigeranttubing/piping,with
exceptionforuseofcompanionorblockvalves

OccupancyDefinitions
whereA2orA2Liscurrentlyallowed
y

ornotallowed
insomeformorfashion(i.e.withrestrictions)
(Class3ismuchmorerestricted)

Class3Restrictions
ingeneral,itisveryrestrictive

Proposed A2L Restrictions

ProposedA2LRestrictions

intentistoallowA1and
A2Lforhumancomfort,
with restrictions as shown
withrestrictionsasshown
onnextpage

Additional Proposed A2L Restrictions

AdditionalProposedA2LRestrictions
asfirststeptowardsless
restrictiveuseof2L
refrigerants these
refrigerants,these
requirementswere
proposedintheAPR
revisionsinprocessnow
mayfurtherchangethe
requirementsbasedon
more risk assessment
moreriskassessment
andriskanalysis,to
addressissuessuchas:
(1)reliabilityof
detection&ventilation
systems,(2)hotsurface
temperaturelimit,(3)
ignition source
ignitionsource
restrictions

Basic Approaches to Using Class 2L

BasicApproachestoUsingClass2L
Ignitionsourcerestrictionsinallcases
g
Locateequipmentoutdoors&useindirectsystem
Ifequipmentisindoors,oranoutdoordirect
system:
Removeorrevisetheuppercaplimitontotal
flammable refrigerant on site
flammablerefrigerantonsite
ContinuetouseRCLtolimitchargesizeineach
independentrefrigerantcircuit
SafetymargintoLFLincludedinRCL
Safety margin to LFL included in RCL
Refrigerantdetectionandventilationrequirementsin
theoccupiedspace

Additional Issues
AdditionalIssues
changingStandard15is
onlythefirststep,next
stepischangingmodel
t i h
i
d l
buildingcodes,afterthat
nextstepisstateandlocal
p
codesmustadoptmodel
codesand/orStandard15

withoutchangestoULstandards(suchas
UL1995,UL984,UL60335234,pending
draftUL60335240,etc.),toclearlyidentify
eq ipment design req irements for lass 2L
equipmentdesignrequirementsforclass2L
fluids,itwillbedifficulttoreceiveproduct
safetylistingfromULorETL,withoutlisting
labelontheequipmentitisdifficultto
persuadethelocalcodeofficialtoallowthe
installation

InstitutionalOccupancyIssues
buildingswithinstitutionaloccupancy
aregenerallyplaceswherepeople
haverestrictedabilitytomoveby
themselves,thuspreventingthem
fromescapingincaseofemergency
becauseofincreasedriskfor
prolongedexposure,intheeventofa
refrigerantrelease,therefrigerant
chargequantitylimitsforinstitutional
h
i li i f i i i
l
occupancyisreducedtohalfthe
normallimit
sosection7.2.1isanexceptionto
7.5.1.1,andthisexceptionmakesit
morerestrictiveforinstitutional
occ panc (total from 500kg to 250kg
occupancy(totalfrom500kgto250kg,
andfrom100%RCLto50%RCL)

Institutional Occupancy Issues

InstitutionalOccupancyIssues
ifrefrigerantchargequantitylimits
(50%ofRCL)seemtoorestrictive,
co nter meas re is to change the
countermeasureistochangethe
buildingdesigntomakeseparate
sections,eachusingseparateHVAC
system(independentrefrigerant
circuits)

Timeline
SSPC15Activities
SSPC 15 Activities
21-Jun-2009

2009 ~ 2011
29-Aug-2011
22-Jan-2012
Feb~Apr 2012
24-Jun-2012
To Be Determined

SSPC 15 creates ad hoc working group to evaluate

changes required in Standard 15 to accommodate
class 2L, based on report that SSPC 34 was
evaluating a change proposal to create subclass 2L
ad hoc working group studies issues and develops
proposed revisions
public review period ends for APR of Addendum a
SSPC 15 reviews ad working group results after
incorporating feedback from public review comments
SSPC 15 interim teleconference meetings, further
discussion and work on the committee draft, sends
back to ad hoc working group
ad hoc working group meeting and report back to
SSPC 15
first Publication Public Review (PPR1)

Interaction with Building Codes

InteractionwithBuildingCodes
CodeChangeCycles
2012editionspublishedduring2011(IMC,IFC)
2012 di i
bli h d d i 2011 (IMC IFC)
and2012(UMC)

Change Cycles
ChangeCycles
Standard152010isContinuousMaintenance
anyonecansubmitchangeproposalsatanytime,
SSPC15 committee reviews and can modify
SSPC15committeereviewsandcanmodify,
accept,orreject
consensusbasedwithapublicreviewprocess
addendapublishedoncontinuousbasis
dd d
bli h d
ti
b i
every3yearspublishanupdatededition,
y y
p
p
,
includingalladdendaapprovedsincetheprior
edition

2001, 2004, 2007, 2010 2013, 2016

2001,2004,2007,20102013,2016

Standard 152010
Standard15
2010
ttheStandardisreferencedby,oradoptedin
e Sta da d s e e e ced by, o adopted
part/whole,orcopiedintovariousbuildingcodes
Nationalmodelbuildingcodesthatarethen
adoptedbyindividualjurisdictions,suchas:
d t d b i di id l j i di ti
h
InternationalMechanicalCode(IMC)
InternationalFireCode
(IFC)
UniformMechanicalCode
Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC)
( UMC )

developedbyICC
de eloped b IAPMO
developedbyIAPMO

Statebuildingcodes
Localbuildingcodes,whereapplicable

M
Modelbuildingcodesarepublishedonceevery
d l b ildi
d
bli h d
threeyears,followingafixedprocessduringeach
code change cycle
codechangecycle
ICC=InternationalCodeCouncil
IAPMO=InternationalAssociationofPlumbingandMechanicalOfficials

Code Change Cycles

CodeChangeCycles
Inthepast,theASHRAEcycleforcodeintendedstandardswasleadingthemodel
buildingcodecycles(ASHRAEpublishedfirst,justbeforethebeginningofa2year
cycleforbuildingcodes).TheICCchangedtheircycle(splitintotwogroupsof
l f b ildi
d ) h CC h
d h i
l ( li i
f
codes,eachwithaseparatecycletimeline).NowthereisaconflictwithASHRAE.
Cycle 1
Cycle1

Cycle 2
Cycle2

Cycle 3
Cycle3

Cycle 4
Cycle4

future ?
future?

future ?
future?

Std15

IMC

UMC

IFC

2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018

Code Change Cycles

CodeChangeCycles
ICC2012/2013CodeDevelopmentCycle
willresultinthe2015ICodes(publishedduring2014)
Thecyclewaschangedfrompastpractice,thisisthefirst
timethecodeswillbesplitintotwogroups(A/B)witha
CodeDevelopmentHearingandFinalActionHearingin
p
g
g
both2012(GroupA)and2013(GroupB). NowalsoGroupC.

Codechangecycleforthe2015editionstarted
deadlinesforchangeproposalsubmission
d dli
f
h
l b i i

IMC
3Jan2012

IFC
3Jan2013

UMC
3Jan2013

DuetorevisedprocessbyICC,ASHRAEisnotcorrectlysynchronized
p
y
,
y y
withICCschedule.ASHRAECISconsideringhowtorespond.

Code Change Cycles

CodeChangeCycles
Ifsafetyrequirementsforclass2Lrefrigerantsare
not added to the 2015 building codes, the next
notaddedtothe2015buildingcodes,thenext
opportunityisthe2018edition
Adoption&effectivedatebyindividualstatesor
localitieswillbeatdifferenttimes

39

Bibliography
ANSI/ASHRAEStandard152010,SafetyStandardfor
RefrigerationSystems,AmericanSocietyofHeating,
f
f
RefrigeratingandAirConditioningEngineers,Inc.,Atlanta,GA
30329.
ANSI/ASHRAEStandard342010,DesignationandSafety
ANSI/ASHRAE St d d 34 2010 D i
ti
dS f t
ClassificationofRefrigerants,AmericanSocietyofHeating,
RefrigeratingandAirConditioningEngineers,Inc.,Atlanta,GA
30329.
30329
ISO/IECGuide51:1999,Safetyaspects Guidelinesfortheir
inclusioninstandards.
ISOGuide73:2009,Riskmanagement
ISO Guide 73:2009 Risk management Vocabulary.
Vocabulary
ISODIS817,Refrigerants Designationandsafety
classification,InternationalOrganizationforStandardization,
2010.
2010

Q
Questions?
i ?
PhillipJohnson
phillip.johnson@daikinmcquay.com
h ll
h
d k