Global Warming
- The
Kyoto Protocol and Convention on Climate Change
- The
European Climate Change Programme (ECCP)
- Links with the web sites of other organizations
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Ozone Depletion
- The
Montreal Protocol - on substances that deplete the
ozone layer.
- European
Regulation No. 2037/2000 - dated June 29, 2000 concerning
substances
that deplete the ozone layer.
- Links with the web sites of other organizations
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Refrigeration Systems
EN 378 "Refrigerating systems and heat pumps - Safety and environmental
requirements"
The EN 378 European Standard "Refrigerating systems and
heat pumps - Safety and environmental requirements" was
prepared by European Committee for Standardization/Technical
Committee CEN/TC 182 (Refrigerating systems, safety and environmental
requirements). It comprises 4 parts:
Part 1: "basic requirements, definitions, classification
and selection criteria" provides definitions of certain
terms used in the standard. It also provides a classification
system according to:
- The type of existing refrigerating systems (direct or indirect
systems);
- Usage of the premises:
- category A: rooms, parts of building or buildings in
which persons may sleep or may not have total freedom
of movement and where persons are not aware of the safety
measures to be applied. Such premises include hospitals,
courthouses and prisons, supermarkets, schools, railway
stations, etc. and thus are public buildings;
- category B: rooms, parts of building or buildings in
which certain persons may be aware of the general safety
measures to be applied. Such premises include production
plants, commercial premises, etc;
- category C: rooms, parts of building or buildings in
which all persons present are trained in the general and
specific safety measures to be applied. Such premises
include specific production plants, cold stores, etc.
- Refrigerants are classified according to their flammability
and toxicity.
- group L1 (non-toxic, non-flammable refrigerants) forming
category A1;
- group L2 (slightly flammable refrigerants) comprising
the categories A2, B1 and B2;
- group L3 (toxic, flammable refrigerants) comprising
the categories A3 and B3.
Annex E contains information on refrigerants and indicates their
characteristics (molecular mass, flammability limits, GWP, ODP,
etc.). Part 2: "design, construction, testing, marking
and documentation", applies to the design and manufacturing
of refrigerating systems.
It defines the various pressure levels that must be applied
(maximum allowable pressure), design pressure, etc.), the layout
of the refrigerating system piping, the type of valves and pressure-regulating
devices to be used. It also defines the testing procedures (tightness
testing and testing of safety equipment, testing before commissioning)
and acceptance procedures (marking of the refrigerating system
and piping, supplying of test certificates, operating manual
and plant plans, availability and location of maintenance records).
Part 3: "installation site and personal protection",
applies to staff and plant safety.
It defines the principles governing the design and construction
of machine rooms (dimensions, types of walls, ventilation) along
with specific requirements for refrigerants in groups L1, L2
or L3. Requirements include detectors and alarm systems; protective
equipment and the first aid procedures that must be made available
to staff. Part 4: "operation, maintenance, repair and
recovery", specifies safety and environmental requirements
during plant operation, maintenance and repairs; it places particular
emphasis on the training and skills of all persons working on
the refrigerating plant (personnel involved in plant operation
or monitoring). The standard emphasizes the need to recover
and/or reuse refrigerants.
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Refrigerants
American
Standard ANSI/ASHRAE 34
Refrigerated Transport
Agreement
on the international carriage of perishable foodstuffs and on
the special
equipment to be used for such carriage (ATP)
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