How to convert CFC-12 chillers to HFC-134A

With less than three years to go before CFC production comes to a halt, the need to retrofit, replace, or manage the containment of CFC-based HVAC systems is a pressing concern for everyone with equipment that runs on a CFC refrigerant today. For building owners and others whose properties are cooled by large tonnage centrifugal chillers operating on CFC, the problem is even more serious. The HVAC industry does not have the capacity to replace every centrifugal chiller currently running on CFCs with new, ozone-safe equipment prior to the December 31, 1995 phaseout deadline. After the phaseout date, CFC refrigerants will be both difficult to find and expensive to purchase. In addition, the possibility of a new equipment order bottleneck is very real as the demand for ozone-safe centrifugal chillers continues to grow in upcoming months. As a result, when retrofitting is feasible, it should be considered as an alternative to purchasing new equipment. This article discusses how one such conversion option - retrofitting with HFC-134a - pertains to centrifugal chillers that currently operate on CFC-12 or R-500. The author reviews the procedure, performance, and costs of an HFC-134a conversion and explain why owners of CFC-12 and R-500 machines shouldmore » consider the many benefits retrofitting with HFC-134a can offer.« less