An investigation of refrigerant leakage in commercial refrigeration

Given that refrigerant demand is set to rapidly increase, long term solutions for leakage prevention are required to effect change in the industry. This paper presents the results of a project which investigated refrigerant leakage within two of the UK’s major supermarket chains. Leakage data from 1,464 maintenance records were analysed. The analysis categorized the type, location of each leak and volume of refrigerant replaced during repair. Over 82% of the recorded leaks were from R404A refrigeration systems, and mainly consisted of pipe or joint failures or a leaking seal/gland/core located in the compressor pack and the high pressure liquid line. It is recommended that the industry focuses on improving design, installation and maintenance of pipework and valves, at the components that most often develop faults to minimize refrigerant leakage.