Lloyds Register cautions against mixing refrigerants

   Lloyd’s Register is warning of the danger of mixing different types of refrigerant gases, saying that it has received reports that “refrigerant gas in refrigeration and air conditioning plants is being recharged or ‘topped up’ with different types of gas.”
   The classification society said this mixing of gases may have been a contributing factor to explosions in refrigeration systems of reefer containers, explosions that have killed three workers in Asia and Brazil.
   “The international community is phasing-out the use of HCFC R-22 refrigerant. This refrigerant is becoming increasingly difficult and costly to obtain,” Lloyds said.
   In addition to the risk of explosions and compromising safety, Lloyds said topping-off with different sorts of gas may:

• Violate several European and national standards, and may be illegal in some countries
• Change system performance unexpectedly
• Make standard pressure gauges and pressure/temperature charts ineffective, preventing effective servicing of the equipment
• Prevent reclamation of gas because “mixed refrigerant cannot be reclaimed and must be destroyed at considerable cost to the contractor or the equipment owner”
• Invalidate compressor warranties

   Meanwhile, the Ocean Carrier Equipment Management Association (OCEMA) said it was coordinating industry information about reefer issues for its 20 shipping line members. They are “actively seeking to identify and locate all at risk reefer containers on the water and in North America and are isolating those containers to protect the public and labor from any possibility of harm.”
   It said its carrier members are, where possible, transloading cargo from at risk containers to safe containers for delivery and are working to negotiate contracts with longshoremen, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) to develop a protocol to make the at risk containers safe.