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Safety operation of flammable refrigerant
1. Transport of equipment containing flammable refrigerants
See transport regulations
2. Marking of equipment using signs
See local regulations
3. Disposal of equipment using flammable refrigerants
See national regulations
4. Storage of equipment applications
The storage of equipment should be in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions.
5. Storage of packed (unsold) equipment
Storage package protection should be constructed such that mechanical damage to
the equipment inside the package will not cause a leak of the refrigerant charge.
The maximum number of pieces of equipment permitted to be stored together will
be determined by local regulations.
6. Information on servicing
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Checks for the area
Prior to beginning work on systems containing flammable refrigerants,
safety checks are necessary to ensure that the risk of ignition is minimised. For
repair to the refrigerating system, the following precautions shall be compiled with
prior to conducting work on the system.
•
Work procedure
Work shall be undertaken under a controlled procedure so as to minimise
the risk of a flammable gas vapour being present while the work is being performed.
•
General work area
All maintenance staff and others working in the local area shall be
instructed on the nature of workspace shall be sectioned off. Ensure that the
conditions within the area have been made safe by control of flammable material.
•
Checking for presence of refrigerant
The area shall be checked with an appropriate refrigerant detector prior to
and during work, to ensure the technician is aware of potentially flammable
atmosphere.
Ensure that the leak detection equipment being used is suitable fore use with
flammable refrigerants, i.e. non-sparking, adequately sealed or intrinsically safe.
•
Presence of fire extinguisher
If any hot work is to be conducted on the refrigeration equipment or any
associated parts, appropriate fire extinguishing equipment shall be available to
hand. Have a dry powder or CO2 fire extinguisher adjacent to the charging area.
•
No ignition sources
No person carrying out work in relation to a refrigeration system which
involves exposing any pipe work that contains or has contained flammable
refrigerant shall use any sources of ignition in such a manner that it may lead to the
risk of fire or explosion. All possible ignition sources, including cigarette smoking,