96/01011 Pilot survey of refrigerant use and emissions from retail food stores

Abstract

Under contract to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), a US corporation conducted a pilot survey of the uses and emissions of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in retail food store refrigeration systems. Emissions to the atmosphere of man-made CFCs have been the focus of recent concern since these compounds have been identified as a significant cause of ozone depletion. The pilot survey was directed at retail food stores and included small, medium, and large grocery stores (super-markets) and convenience stores. These stores used various refrigeration systems for display cases and walk-in coolers and freezers. The refrigeration systems consisted of single-and parallel-compressor modules and self-contained units. The refrigerants used in the systems included R-12, R-22 (a hydrofluorocarbon), and R-502 (an azeotropic mixture of R-115 and R-22).