| CLIMATE CHANGE | 08/2011 Avoiding Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Prospects for Phasing Out | CLIMATE CHANGE | 08/2011 Avoiding Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Prospects for Phasing Out by Katja Becken Dr. Daniel de Graaf Dr. Cornelia Elsner Gabriele Hoffmann Dr. Franziska Krüger Kerstin Martens Dr. Wolfgang Plehn Dr. Rolf Sartorius German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) UMWELTBUNDESAMT This publication is only available online. It can be downloaded from http://www.uba.de/uba-info-medien-e/3977.html along with a German version. Revised version of the report “Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases in Products and Processes – Technical Climate Protection Measures”, German Federal Environment Agency, Berlin 2004 Translation of the German-language report, November 2010 ISSN 1862-4359 Publisher: Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) Wörlitzer Platz 1 06844 Dessau-Roßlau Germany Phone: +49-340-2103-0 Fax: +49-340-2103 2285 Email: [email protected] Internet: http://www.umweltbundesamt.de http://fuer-mensch-und-umwelt.de/ Edited by: Section III 1.4 Substance-related Product Issues Katja Becken, Dr. Wolfgang Plehn Dessau-Roßlau, June 2011 Foreword Fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) are 100 to 24,000 times more harmful to the climate than CO2. The contribution of fluorinated greenhouse gases to global warming is projected to triple from nearly 2% to around 6% of total greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. This is revealed by global projections prepared for the Federal Environment Agency in a scenario where no new measures are taken. The need for action is evident. F-gases are mostly used in similar ways to the CFCs and halons used in the past, which are responsible for the destruction of the ozone layer in the stratosphere. For this reason the international community of states has been engaged for over a year in negotiations about the inclusion of a number of fluorinated greenhouse gases in the Montreal Protocol – the international environmental agreement on the protection of the ozone layer. There is therefore a great need for up-to-date scientific information about the climate-friendly and innovative alternatives to F-gases. This is the purpose of the present report. In 2050, some 80% of F-gas emissions will derive from stationary and mobile refrigeration and air-conditioning applications. These are emissions that can be prevented by using climate- friendly natural refrigerants in the future: Manufacturers are successfully using hydrocarbons in household appliances, and for a few years now the same has been true of laboratory appliances. In supermarkets and discount stores, a growing number of practical examples are showing that halogen-free refrigerants such as CO2 or hydrocarbons can not only provide the necessary refrigeration, but can also make a significant contribution to saving energy thanks to good energy efficiency and waste heat recovery. Similar innovative developments can also be found in the mobile air-conditioning sector. For modern vehicles with fuel-saving technology and for electric cars, scientists and development engineers regard CO2 as a suitable refrigerant for air-conditioning systems, partly because it is not flammable, and partly because the air-conditioning systems can also be used “in reverse” as a heat pump. The Berlin public transport system (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe – BVG) have been leading the way by testing city buses with this refrigerant since 2010. Since 2009, the Federal Environment Agency itself has been running one of its cars with a CO2 air-conditioning system, and experience to date is good. This and other “phase-out paths” are described in this report. The industry has developed numerous climate-friendly solutions. Now it is time for users, businesses, public transport companies and the car industry to make use of these innovative technologies in practice. This report is our contribution to the discussion about measures at European and international level. Jochen Flasbarth President of the Federal Environment Agency, Dessau-Roßlau, November 2010 Table of Contents Introduction 1 Purpose and structure of report 3 Part A General Part 5 1 Properties and environmental impacts of fluorinated gases 5 1.1 Structure, nomenclature and physico-chemical-properties 5 1.2 Global production, use and emission forecast 8 1.3 Environmental impacts (focus on climate) 12 1.3.1 Degradation in the atmosphere / sinks and persistence 13 1.3.2 Decomposition on stratospheric ozone 14 1.3.3 Contribution to photochemical oxidant formation 14 1.3.4 Contribution to global climate change 15 1.4 Overview of possible substitute substances 18 1.4.1 Carbon dioxide (CO2) 20 1.4.2 Hydrocarbons 21 1.4.3 Ammonia (NH3) 21 1.4.4 Dimethyl ether (DME) 22 1.4.5 Nitrogen (N2) 22 1.4.6 Hydrofluoro alkenes 22 1.4.7 Summary 23 Literature used in Introduction, Purpose and Structure, and Chapter 1 24 2 Emission trends in Germany 29 Literature used in Chapter 2 35 Part B Application areas and processes: Use, emissions and alternatives 37 3 HFCs and PFCs as refrigerants in refrigeration and air- conditioning systems 37 3.1 Overview of possible types of refrigeration 37 3.1.1 Refrigeration systems with mechanical power 37 3.1.2 Refrigeration systems with thermal power 39 3.2 Use and emissions 41 3.3 Application areas and reduction options 44 3.3.1 Household and laboratory appliances (refrigerators and freezers, tumble dryers) 47 3.3.2 Commercial refrigeration systems 50 3.3.3 Industrial refrigeration (industrial systems, coldstores, food processing etc.) 62 3.3.4 Transport refrigeration 75 3.3.5 Air-conditioning of rooms and buildings 81 3.3.6 Heat pumps (domestic heat pumps) 91 3.3.7 Vehicle air-conditioning 96 3.3.8 Other applications / use of PFC 114 Literature used in Chapter 3 115 4 HFCs as blowing agents for foam manufacture 139 4.1 Rigid foams for thermal insulation 141 4.1.1 Rigid XPS foam 142 4.1.2 Rigid PUR foam 146 4.2 Flexible PUR foams 154 4.3 Integral PUR foams 155 4.4 Caulking foams 156 Literature used in Chapter 4 159 5 HFCs as propellant gas in technical and other aerosols 165 5.1 Technical sprays 167 5.1.1 Freezer sprays and compressed air sprays 167 5.1.2 Other technical sprays 168 5.2 Medicinal sprays 168 5.3 Miscellaneous sprays 170 5.3.1 Household and cosmetic sprays 170 5.3.2 Decorative sprays and party items 171 5.3.3 Sound devices (signal horns) 172 5.3.4 Pepper sprays 173 5.3.5 Insecticides, pesticides etc. 174 Literature used in Chapter 5 174 6 HFCs as fire extinguishing agents 179 Literature used in Chapter 6 186 7 HFCs as solvents 189 Literature used in Chapter 7 191 8 HFCs, PFCs and SF6 as etching gases 193 8.1 Semiconductor industry 194 8.2 Thin-film solar modules and flat-screen production 198 8.3 Printed circuit board manufacture 199 Literature used in Chapter 8 201 9 SF6 as arc-quenching and insulating gas in electrical equipment 205 9.1 Switchgear in the voltage range 52-380 kV (high voltage) 208 9.2 Switchgear in the voltage range > 1-52 kV (medium voltage) 210 Literature used in Chapter 9 213 10 SF6 applications in the non-ferrous (NF) metal industry 217 10.1 SF6 for use as cover gas (magnesium processing) 217 10.2 SF6 as cleaning gas for secondary aluminium casting 221 Literature used in Chapter 10 222 11 SF6 as filling gas in double-glazed soundproof windows 227 Literature used in Chapter 11 229 12 SF6 as leakage detection and tracer gas 231 Literature used in Chapter 12 233 13 SF6 as filling gas in car tyres 235 Literature used in Chapter 13 236 14 SF6 and PFCs as shock-absorbing gas in shoes 237 Literature used in Chapter 14 237 15 Overview of substitution options and other means of emission reduction in the individual fields of application 239 16 Abbreviations 245 17 Glossary 251 Introduction Introduction Climate protection has become increasingly important since the Rio Conference in 1992 with the signing of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC). In Article 2 of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Parties to this Convention set themselves the target of achieving “stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.” [KRK 1992]. To achieve this target there was a need for further elaboration. To this end Conferences of the Parties (COPs) have been held regularly. The Kyoto Protocol [Kyoto-Protokoll 1997] which was adopted in December 1997 must be regarded as the most important result of these conferences. In it, the industrialised countries promised – for the first time – to make a binding reduction in their greenhouse gas emissions. Whereas the industrialised countries undertook to make an average reduction of 5.2%, the European Union committed itself to the target, which was binding under international law following the ratification of the Protocol, of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a total of 8% compared with 1990 during the period 2008 - 2012. Under the burden-sharing arrangements of the European Union, Germany undertook to reduce emissions by 21%. The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012. Against this background the Parties are currently negotiating a new international climate change convention for the period after 2012. The UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009 was intended to agree at least the key points of this follow-up convention, but did not succeed.