Melbourne-based Cool Dynamics Refrigeration was fined $285,000 late last year over in incident in which a 25-year-old refrigeration mechanic died when his work van exploded. The case highlighted safety issues surrounding the transportation of dangerous goods – an issue that will become all the more acute as flammable refrigerants become the norm. The company was … Continue reading Fine for transporting flammable gas in van
A Victorian Worksafe investigation is believed to be continuing after an air-conditioning unit exploded at a luxury home in the Melbourne bayside suburb of Brighton in February, causing severe burns to the tradesman working on the unit. A report in the Herald Sun newspaper said the 21-year-old was servicing the air-conditioning unit when it exploded … Continue reading A2L refrigerant not the cause of VIC accident
Authorities in the United States including the FBI, EPA and US Department of Transportation are cracking down on the illegal sale of unapproved hydrocarbon refrigerants used in home air-conditioning systems, culminating in a series of arrests. In contrast to the situation in Australia, where the culture of enforcement is not nearly as strong, joint investigations … Continue reading Arrests in USA for illegal hydrocarbon refrigerant use
The global expansion of R1234yf refrigerant is continuing with new supply and technology licence agreements in key developing markets such as India and China, however VASA understands that this will not necessarily lead to price reductions. Overseas reports indicate that there are already more than eight million cars on the road using R1234yf – a … Continue reading R1234yf production expands
Audi’s Q7 e-tron made headlines last year upon its unveiling at the Geneva motor show, billed as the world’s first TDI plug-in hybrid with quattro drive and the first plug-in hybrid with a diesel engine from the German prestige marque. With a 3.0-litre six-cylinder oil-burner and electric motor on-board, the big SUV emerged with 275kW … Continue reading Audi Q7 debuts cutting-edge heat pump tech
British supermarket Sainsbury’s has taken delivery of the first of three refrigerated trailers running Carrier Transicold chiller systems that use R744 (carbon dioxide) refrigerant, as it embarks on a three-year technology field trial. The grocery giant has form in this field as it scored a world first in 2013 when it piloted an R744 reefer … Continue reading CO2 supermarket reefers hit the road in UK trial
Ozone review options paper draws broad industry, community input As expected, the Review of the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Programme options paper consultation drew a large response from a broad range of industries, with 57 submissions sent to the Department of the Environment. More than half the submissions explicitly supported an HFC … Continue reading Options paper gets 57 responses
Kansas-based truck industry supplier Northcutt faces a $US100,000 fine and the withdrawal of its hydrocarbon refrigerant products from the United States market in a consent decree lodged by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In a Finding of Violation (FoV) sent by the EPA to Northcutt in June 2014, the company was accused of selling unapproved … Continue reading $100K US EPA fine for another hydrocarbon pedlar
A report commissioned by the Department of the Environment into the release of refrigerants from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) in Australia estimates that 166 tonnes of high global warming potential R134a and 21 tonnes of ozone-depleting R12 were emitted in this way during 2013. That is equivalent to 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, based on … Continue reading End-of-life vehicle refrigerant study out soon
The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) has been busy campaigning for broader access to vehicle repair information since issue 5 of SightGlass News. Frustrated by the slow response of car companies to share data – with only Holden offering a portal that satisfies the and eight others providing insufficient information – the AAAA has taken … Continue reading AAAA loses patience on repair data sharing
