Monitoring hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant leakage from air-conditioning systems in buildings

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are now widely used in refrigeration and air-conditioning systems. These systems lose refrigerants through leaks and during servicing. This paper discusses the possibility of determining the emission rate of HFCs in buildings by applying tracer-gas techniques. The measurement of the emission rate of an HFC refrigerant (R134a) using the concentration-decay technique was carried out in a single-zone chamber. The results were compared with measurements made using an SF6 tracer and the Pitot-tube traverse method.