Quick and Easy Detection of Refrigerant Gas Leaks

FLIR Systems has announced an optimised system for visualising HFC/CFC refrigerant gas leaks using their FLIR GF304 Optical Gas Imaging Camera.

Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) and Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases are used worldwide in industrial refrigeration systems for production, storage and retailing of food. Refrigerant gas is also used in the chemical, pharmaceutical and automotive industries and in air conditioning systems. Keeping an industrial refrigeration system running is of great importance due to the value of the cooled goods.

Furthermore, replacing or recharging gas can be a costly exercise. Although refrigerant gases are vital for many industries they can also be harmful to the environment and often emissions are governed by local regulations. That is why it is of the utmost importance to find leaks quickly and easily.

It has been proven that using the FLIR GF304 Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) camera can significantly reduce the time and cost of finding gas leaks without the need to shut down the refrigeration operation. As a consequence the FLIR GF304 OGI camera enables organisations to conform to regulation directives and reduce their usage of refrigerants.

As part of an EU Directive (842/2006 article 3), operators of refrigeration plants, air conditioning systems, heat pump equipment and fire protection systems which contain fluorinated greenhouse gases, shall, use all measures which are technically feasible and do not entail disproportionate cost to prevent leakage of these gases and as soon as possible repair any detected leakage.

The FLIR GF304 OGI camera contains a cooled Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP) and a cold band pass filter (8.0 - 8.6 um) allowing it to optimally visualise refrigerant gases including R404A, R407C, R410A, R417A, R422A, R507A, R143A, R125, R134A and R245fa.