Barriers to the use of Low GWP Refrigerants in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Sector in Mauritius

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the issue of phasing out of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in Mauritius following the Kigali amendments of the Montreal protocol. For this purpose, a gap analysis was carried out among the major stakeholders in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) sector in Mauritius concerning the introduction of environment friendly refrigerants. Based on the gap analysis, it was found that the most frequently used refrigerants in the sector were HFCs and, to a lesser extent, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC). However, because of their negative influence on the environment, natural refrigerants such as ammonia (NH3), carbon dioxide (CO2) and Hydrocarbons (HC), having minimal impact on the environment, are being considered. On the other hand, HFOs, a new family of synthetic refrigerants also having low GWP have just appeared on the market. While these refrigerants have several advantages in terms of energy savings and thermodynamic efficiency, they also presents some drawbacks related namely to safety and availability on the market. In this paper, we discussed the major gaps in the implementation of these aforementioned new alternatives (i.e. NH3, CO2, HC and HFOs). Additionally, we proposed some solutions to cater for these gaps. Finally, some conclusions are drawn on future possible policy and decision making with regards to the implementation of the above technology.