Ozone Layer Photo Courtesy of NASA

There’s an article in Process Cooling magazine’s January/February 2010 issue regarding the phase out of R22 refrigerant. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) website, effective January 1, 2010, “Virgin R-22 may not be used in new equipment.” This regulation is part of the Montreal Protocol, which, as of September 2009, all countries in the United Nations have ratified in an effort to reduce the amount of ozone-depleting chemicals released into the air. If your equipment or process uses R22, you can legally continue to use R22 in that equipment or process until January 1, 2030. However, the production and import of R22 will be banned in the U.S. after January 1, 2020. As people transition away from R22, it will likely become increasingly expensive to buy it and more challenging to find it. One alternative to R22 is R134A refrigerant, an environmentally acceptable hydroflurocarbon (HFC) according to the EPA. Lytron has been using R134A refrigerant in its Kodiak recirculating chillers since Lytron began manufacturing Kodiaks. Therefore, if you purchase or use Lytron Kodiak recirculating chillers, you can rest assured that your chiller is in compliance with the refrigerant use regulations of the U.S. EPA and the Montreal Protocol.