International. Thanks to the recent update of the EN IEC 60335-2-89:2022 standard, European manufacturers can now sell autonomous equipment with loads of up to 500 grams of flammable refrigerant R-290 and up to 1.2 kilos of flammable refrigerants A2L.
This Harmonized European Standard sets out the safety requirements for commercial refrigeration and ice making solutions by electrically driving a motor or compressor. Similarly, it applies to solutions sold as two units intended to be assembled as a single device (split systems).
"This is important news, considering the growing number of commercial refrigeration equipment adopting flammable refrigerants such as propane (R-290) and isobutane (R-600a), in a bid to reduce environmental impact," commented Marco Masini, president of the Association of European Refrigeration Component Manufacturers (Asercom).
Marek Zgliczynski, member of ASERCOM's WG Standard and chair of the subcommittee responsible for updating the IEC standard, commented: "We will now be able to exceed the limit envisaged in the previous version when flammable refrigerants are used and achieve between 5 and 6 kW of cooling power, something that fast freezers or ice machines need to fulfil their function."
Harmonization and applicability of the standard
In 2019, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) revised its IEC 60335-2-89 safety standard, increasing the charge limit for flammable refrigerants in autonomous commercial appliances. On that occasion, the manufacturers did not invoke it, arguing liability problems when adopting a non-harmonised standard. In fact, the IEC standard is a voluntary, but not legally binding, international recommendation.
In contrast, harmonized standards allow manufacturers of equipment with certain characteristics to introduce to the European market products that have the CE marking, which accounts for the so-called "presumption of conformity" with the Machinery Directive of the European Union.
