To ASSESS the complete environmental performance of refrigerants and their systems, both Direct and Indirect Emissions have to be considered:

Firstly, using ammonia reduces the direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is due to its Global WARMING Potential (GWP) of 0, compared to a GWP of 1,700 for R22 and 3,260 for R404a, and even higher values for other chemical refrigerants. Why is this important? As an example, from a typical industrial refrigeration system 10-25% of the total refrigerant charge is emitted to the atmosphere every year. Assuming that leakage rates are the same, ammonia will thus spare the planet tones of greenhouse gases compared to any other chemical refrigerant currently used. In addition, leakage rates for ammonia are considerably lower than for any other refrigerant as the gas is detected much earlier due to its characteristic odour. 

Secondly, ammonia also leads to lower Indirect GHG emissions by maximizing energy efficiency of equipments in which they are used. This is due to a combination of factors, including its favorable thermodynamic characteristics. As a result, ammonia systems use LESS primary energy to produce a certain refrigeration effect compared to other COMMONLY used refrigerants. Its indirect global warming effect is therefore one of the lowest of all refrigerants.

To assess the complete environmental performance of refrigerants and their systems, both Direct and Indirect Emissions have to be considered:

Firstly, using ammonia reduces the direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is due to its Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 0, compared to a GWP of 1,700 for R22 and 3,260 for R404a, and even higher values for other chemical refrigerants. Why is this important? As an example, from a typical industrial refrigeration system 10-25% of the total refrigerant charge is emitted to the atmosphere every year. Assuming that leakage rates are the same, ammonia will thus spare the planet tones of greenhouse gases compared to any other chemical refrigerant currently used. In addition, leakage rates for ammonia are considerably lower than for any other refrigerant as the gas is detected much earlier due to its characteristic odour. 

Secondly, ammonia also leads to lower Indirect GHG emissions by maximizing energy efficiency of equipments in which they are used. This is due to a combination of factors, including its favorable thermodynamic characteristics. As a result, ammonia systems use less primary energy to produce a certain refrigeration effect compared to other commonly used refrigerants. Its indirect global warming effect is therefore one of the lowest of all refrigerants.