AIRAH have published an article on the new Australian refrigeration standards.
The article focuses on the AS/NZS.ISO 817: 2016 Refrigerants–Designation and safety classification and the AS/NZS 5149 Refrigerating systems and heat pumps–Safety and environmental requirements: Parts 1 to 4. They replace the AS/NZS 1677.1:1998 and the AS/NZS 1677.2:1998 respectively.
The article emphasises the differences between the new Standards and the ones that they have replaced. The article states that the AS/NZS/ISO 817 “covers the designation and safety classifications of refrigerants and includes classification for 109 refrigerants.” This is in contrast to AS/NZS 1677.1:1998, which only classified 66 refrigerants.
The article states that the major change with AS/NZS/ISO 817 is the introduction of a new 2L “Lower Flammability” classification. Other changes between the Standards include class A3 refrigerants not requiring to be odorised, and specifications of the quality of data sources and testing methods to determine refrigerant properties needed for classification.
In regards to AS/NZS 5149, the article states that it recognises “alternative performance-based approaches, which are allowed as long as a technical assessment by a competent person demonstrates that the system is no less safe than if the system had been designed to comply with the Standard’s prescriptive requirements.”
The article states that the major change in Part 1 (Definitions, classification and selection criteria) is the change of classification terminology from categories I, II and III to a,b and c.
In regards to Part 2 (Design, construction, testing, marking and documentation), the major change is the increase of the minimum system design temperatures that must be used for determining the maximum allowable pressure.
Part 3 (Installation site) outlines the safety requirements applicable to a site and the location of the refrigeration system. Part 4 (Operation, maintenance, repair and recovery) covers the ongoing management of a refrigeration and air conditioning system.
The article also states that over 80 different refrigerants are currently in play or under development.
AIRAH’s article can be read in full here.
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