Impact des fluides frigorigènes selon BREEAM : l’avantage du R32 intégré

 2. Leak detection 

As R32 is a A2L refrigerant the system must have leak detection to comply with EN-378 and IEC 60335-2-40:2018 (edition 6.0). BREEAM also recognises that even with good system design, every refrigerant circuit has the potential to leak over time. That’s why in addition to assessing the overall leakage impact (DELC), BREEAM awards a separate credit for systems that include leak detection technology. This operates as an early warning system for an AHU’s refrigerant circuit.

 
Why BREEAM rewards systems with leak detection: 
 

• It ensures any loss of refrigerant is found quickly, before it becomes an environmental issue 
• It reduces the amount of refrigerant lost, which lowers the systems lifetime carbon impact 
• It protects system performance, because even a small drop in charge can reduce overall efficiency 
• It reduces running costs, as refrigerant top-ups and unplanned downtime can be costly. 

For integrated solutions like our ReCooler, leak detection is built in as standard making it automatically qualify for this extra BREEAM credit. All done without any additional components, wiring or complexity on site – it is as simple as that. 

In your traditional AHU with an external condenser arrangement, this system would be classified as a split DX system, which carries the highest leakage rate of 15%. This is because:

• Refrigerant circuit is split across two separate pieces of equipment
• Connections are made on site not in a controlled manufacturing environment
• Split systems require long pipe runs, which means more potential leak points
• External condenser is at risk to weather, corrosion and physical wear
• More maintenance checks required and every time this introduces a potential leak risk.

By contrast, our ReCooler, which falls under the medium chiller category, is assessed at just 5% leakage. This is because it is:

• Factory-sealed with all the pipework contained inside the AHU
• Pressure tested, charged and commissioned before leaving the factory
• Delivered as a complete, self-contained refrigerant circuit, with no site-installed joints
• Protected inside the AHU casing with no exposure to weather
• Free from any external long pipe runs.

Ding ding, that’s another point to our ReCooler.

We’ve mentioned our integrated DX design a lot and you may be wondering what exactly that means. It means that the complete heat pump circuit - including the compressor, evaporator coil, condenser coil, expansion device and all refrigerant pipework – is fully housed inside the AHU as one factory-built sealed system. Pretty cool right.

In practical terms this means:

• All refrigerant components are inside the AHU
• The system is fully factory-assembled and pre charged
• Heat pump works directly with the AHU’s heat recovery system
• Installation is much simpler
• BREEAM benefits with lower leakage rate.

Let’s look at exactly how this design translates to our ReCooler design.

Unlike traditional systems, the ReCooler places the exhaust coil on the outdoor air (atmospheric) side of the rotor. This allows the rotor to work as intended:

• In winter, it recovers useful heat from the extract air
• In summer, it recovers useful cooling energy
• The heat pump no longer competes with the energy recovery process.

This ReCooler delivery:

• Lower compressor power consumption
• Lower running costs
• Lower indirect CO2 emissions from electricity use
• Less strain on the system, reducing lifetime leakage risk

This design pairs efficiently with BREEAM refrigerant guidelines, resulting in a system that is both environmentally and operationally superior.