The joint operation by the World Customs Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) over a six month period ending in November led to the confiscation of more than 7,500 cylinders of CFCs, HCFCs and other ozone depleting substances. Also included in the seizures were 668 pieces of equipment containing ODS.

Congratulating those involved with the operation, Rajendra Shende, head of UNEP’s division of technology, industry and economics (DTIE) OzonAction Branch, said: “In the 2000s, illegal trade in ODS was reported to have been worth around $60m- equivalent to 10-20% of global legitimate trade.”

Built on the success of Project Sky-Hole Patching I which saw 21 Customs administrations in the Asia/Pacific region seize over 700 tonnes of ODS in 301 incidents between September 2006 and September 2009, Project Sky-Hole Patching II saw over 80 countries pledge their commitment to participating in the project, making it a truly global event.

While a number of seizures were reported from Europe, Africa and Central Asia, the majority of seizures took place in the Asia/Pacific region, notably in China, Thailand, Hong Kong, China and India.

Two significant seizures were a total of 1,200 cylinders of ODS by Thai customs officials and the prevention of the export of 44 tons of HCFCs in two incidents by French customs.

Organised crime has been implicated in much of the smuggling, a good example being the seized shipment in the Gambia of several dozen cylinders of CFCs and two tonnes of cocaine smuggled from South America.

Source ACR News January 2011

ACE Refrigeration recently completed the design & build of a £2M new chilled/frozen production facility for Braehead SFO in Uddingston.

With the building of this new tailor made production factory, Braehead SFO Enterprises Ltd, one of the largest suppliers of fresh and frozen Langoustine in the UK, have ensured they can continue to grow and service their increasing customer base.

The design team at ACE Refrigeration have worked closely with Braehead SFO over the past 14 months to ensure the design of their factory was tailored to meet their business needs now and safeguard them for future growth. Introducing the Architect and Main Contractor to the project ACE worked side by side with Braehead SFO to ensure the delivery of the best project plan possible. “We worked with Robert and Jean-Yves at Braehead SFO to come up with the initial concept of building a new factory when their original plans to move and extend existing premises were thwarted. Starting with a blank canvas has meant we could design the factory inside out, allowing their refrigeration and production needs to dictate the size and layout of the plant rather than trying to fit it in to an existing premises.” said Shane McKenzie, Sales Director at ACE Refrigeration.

With capacity and efficiencies the key drivers the new factory will have three distinct areas; a freezer with a 3406m³ capacity to hold 300 pallets, each pallet holding approximately half a tonne of Langoustine, so they can effectively store 150 tonnes of frozen langoustine! In addition there is a chill room with 581m³ capacity and a temperature controlled production facility with a capacity of 1450m³ all designed by ACE.

One result of the size is that there is a large amount of highly valuable perishable stock in one area so they needed the most reliable refrigeration to ensure their products integrity and needed to have the peace of mind to know they were dealing with the experts, to this end ACE have designed the refrigeration system with additional back up systems in place.  An added bonus for Braehead of the ACE design is free hot water – with a brazed plate heat exchanger incorporated into the design they will have free hot water to use for the daily wash down of their production facility – meaning reduced energy bills.

Robert McNab, Director of Braehead SFO said “Having worked very closely with ACE Refrigeration from the initial idea for a new factory we are delighted with the level of commitment and service they have shown as a supplier. We look forward to continuing to build a strong and lengthy relationship with them as they will also be maintaining and servicing the equipment now it is in place.”

The new facility was officially opened by Environment Secretary, Richard Lochhead on 22^nd September, coincidently both he and ACE originate from Denniston in Glasgow’s East End.

HCFC Update August 2010

One of the world’s leading suppliers of catering and provisioning services for airlines and railroads, knew they had the specialists at hand to help them when they identified a risk to their operation. The 21 refrigeration systems at their Glasgow production facility were being run on a gas whose use would soon be prohibited. ACE Refrigeration had been their service and maintenance provider for over 3 years so they knew how reliable and cost effective they were, so they turned to them for help.

They knew that from 1^st Jan 2010 the use of virgin R22 gas was going to be prohibited in the maintenance and servicing of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment as it destroys the ozone layer and thus contributes to global warming. This, basically meant, as their refrigeration equipment used R22 gas, they would no longer be able to buy new stocks of it.

The use of recycled R22 gas will be allowed until 1^st Jan 2015 but then it too will become prohibited. However it was anticipated that the recycled gas could be in short supply and the price become highly inflated. The price of recycled R22 Gas has indeed already more than doubled in the first few weeks of 2010 and is already becoming scarce with lead times being quoted of over a week.

Having foreseen this shortage and the related price increases they could not afford to run the risk of their refrigeration equipment going down without a back up supply of replacement gas as the potential losses could be devastating. So they decided to take matters in to their own hands and have ACE retrofit their systems to start using readily available and less expensive R417A & R422A Gases, the retrofit cost £31,000.

They have greatly reduced the risk from equipment downtime and the potential lost revenue if the thousands of meals and produce stored in their facilities were to perish. The potential loss far outweighed the cost of the retrofit.

Foster McKenzie, Service Director at ACE Refrigeration said “They understood the devastating effect that refrigeration equipment downtime could have on their business and have future proofed their equipment against this. With R22 gas being the most widely used refrigerant gas of the last 30 years there are a large number of food industry and other businesses who rely heavily on their refrigeration equipment with this same potential risk to their business.” For more information or to arrange a Free Site Survey call us on 0141 556 7691.

• from 1st January 2010 it is illegal to use virgin HCFCs to service RAC equipment. This ban applies even if HCFC was purchased before the ban date. It is illegal to stockpile and use any supplies of virgin HCFCs after the end of 2009.
• from 1st January 2015 it will be illegal to use recycled or reclaimed HCFCs to service RAC equipment.

For more detail on the legislation go to the ACRIB Site.

Brrrr….The Chilling effect of Global Warming.

If you use any form of refrigeration equipment in your business then you need to be aware of changing legislation that will impact on you. It is a crucial time with regard to the replacement of, the non-environmentally friendly, R22 refrigerant gas.

Don’t know what it is? OR How it affects you? – don’t worry, as a fellow member of, Scotland Food and Drink, ACE Refrigeration is here to help…so read on!

From 1^st Jan 2010 the use of virgin R22, which has been the most commonly used refrigerant gas in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry in the last 30 years, shall be prohibited in the maintenance and servicing of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. The HCFC R22 has been identified as a refrigerant that destroys the ozone layer and thus contributes to global warming. This, basically means, if your refrigeration equipment uses R22 gas, you will no longer be able to buy new stocks of it.

Can I use reclaimed or recycled Gas?

Yes, for a short time, until 1^st Jan 2015 when the use of recycled HCFC’s will also be prohibited. So you may think you’ve got time, but think again. As the demand for recycled gas increases and the scarcity leads to inevitable price increases and shortages you could be left in a puddle as your refrigeration equipment fails and you lose your most valuable commodity – your produce!

However, while that 2015 date line might look like you have plenty of time to react, FETA, (The Federation of Environmental Trade Associations) warns that the rate of reclamation of R22 has not increased to meet future demand. According to the latest British Refrigeration Association (BRA) survey only 10% of the demand required has been reclaimed which will leave most users of R22 short of product by the end of 2010, especially considering that most reclaimed R22 in stock is already spoken for by several of the large retailers.

So what do you need to do?

Here’s one ACE customers experience.

ACE Refrigeration was asked to change out a large R22 plant for Lactalis McLelland in Stranraer. ACE Refrigeration has been the preferred refrigeration contractor for Lactalis McLelland, one of the largest cheese producers in Scotland, for the last 6 years.

In 2008 we provided them with an R22 phase out progression plan. We began this plan by first establishing a model of how the plant currently performed then after the refit another model was generated to check any operating differences.

After an extended test period it was found that when operating with the new replacement refrigerant the system was actually more efficient, used less energy.

So what should you do next?

Contact us and book a free site survey, whilst there we’ll also see what savings we could potentially make on energy and efficiencies within your current systems.

With an interest free unsecured loan from the Carbon Trust they have been able to replace their old, costly and inefficient, refrigeration equipment with a brand new chilled back wall cabinet. At a time where bank lending is highly restrictive, the Carbon Trust loan allowed them to make savings on energy bills and get new equipment which may otherwise not have happened!

“ACE not only told me about the loan in the first place but helped me through the entire application process, I’m delighted with my new chilled cabinet, it has made a big difference to my chilled good sales already with and increase of 80%!” Christine Gunn, Owner Keystore, Gourock.

In most cases, businesses taking a Carbon Trust loan to update their equipment find the savings they make on energy bills can often cover the cost of the loan repayments. This means they benefit from brand new equipment, increased efficiency and reduced running costs, all at little or no expense to themselves. They also help to drive the UK’s move to a low carbon economy.

Companies spend far more than they are aware on running inefficient refrigeration systems – it can even be as much as 50% of their energy bills – says the Carbon Trust. The government lead initiative offers unsecured business loans at 0% interest to finance and invest in energy saving projects, from £3,000 up to the value of £500,000. Anticipated energy savings offset the loan repayments. So new equipment should pay for itself and business’s should continue to make savings year on year.

The loan valued at £7,887 over 2 years means a monthly payback of £328, the 1^st quarterly energy bill saving from replacing the old equipment with new was £600, this saving means the equipment is in effect self funding and the savings will continue long after the loan has been repaid as will the 80% increase in sales from the improved merchandising with the new cabinet.

For more information on how ACE Refrigeration can help you replace your inefficient refrigeration equipment at little or no cost then contact us on 0141 556 7691.

* Based on a 2 year payback period of the interest free loan versus the energy cost savings over the same period.