Organisation intergouvernem ental e pour le développement du froid
Intergovernm entalorganizat ion for the developm ent of refrigera tion
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EN 378 "Refrigerating systems and heat pumps - Safety and environmental requirements"
The EN 378 European Standard "Refrigerating systems and heat pumps - Safety and environmental requirements" was prepared by European Committee for Standardization/Technical Committe CEN/TC 182(Refrigerating systems, safety and environmental requirements). It comprises 4 parts: •
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Part1: basic requirem ents, definitions, assification cl andselection crit eria, adoptedby CEN on November 11, 1999 (52 pages); Part 2: design, cons truction, testing, aking m and docum entation, adopt ed by CEN on October 10, 1999 (39 pages); Part 3: installation site and personal protect ion, adopted yb CEN on October 10 , 1999 (18 pages); Part 4: operat ion, maint enance, repair and recovery, adoptedCEN by on October 14, 1999 (21 pages)
and is available in three official languages: English, French and German. The aim of this standard is to "reduce the number of hazards to persons, property and the environment, caused by refrigerating systems and refrigerants". Part 1, "basic requirements, definitions, classification and selection criteria" provides definitions of certain terms used in the standard. It also provides a classification system according to: • •
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the type of existing refrigerating systems (direct or indirect systems); usage of the premises: o category A: rooms, parts of building or buildings in which persons may sleep or may no have total freedom of movement and where persons are not aware of the safet measures to be applied. Such premises include hospitals, courthouses and prisons supermarkets, schools, railway stations, etc. and thus are public buildings; o category B: rooms, parts of building or buildings in which certain persons may be awar of the general safety measures to be applied. Such premises include production plants commercial premises, etc; o category C: rooms, parts of building or buildings in which all persons present are traine in the general and specific safety measures to be applied. Such premises include specific production plants, cold stores, etc. refrigerants Refrigerants are classified according to their flammability and toxicity. o group L1(non-toxic, non-fl ammable refrigerant s) forming category 1 A; o group L2 (slightly flammable refrigerants) comprising the categories A2, B1 and B2; o group L3 (toxic, flammable refrigerants) comprising the categories A3 and B3.
Annex E contains information on refrigerants and indicates their characteristics (molecular ma flammability limits, GWP, ODP, etc.).
Part 2, "design, construction, testing, marking and documentation", applies to the design and manufacturing of refrigerating systems.
It defines the various pressure levels that must be applied (maximum allowable pressure), desi pressure, etc.), the layout of the refrigerating system piping, the type of valves and pressu regulating devices to be used. It also defines the testing procedures (tightness testing and testing safety equipment, testing before commissioning) and acceptance procedures (marking of refrigerating system and piping, supplying of test certificates, operating manual and plant p availability and location of maintenance records).
Part 3, "installation site and personal protection" , applies to staff and plant safety. It defines the principles governing the design and construction of machine rooms (dimensions, typ of walls, ventilation) along with specific requirements for refrigerants in groups L1, L2 or L Requirements include detectors and alarm systems; protective equipment and the first aid proced that must be made available to staff.
Part 4, "operation, maintenance, repair and recovery", specifies safety and environmental requirements during plant operation, maintenance and repairs; it places particular emphasis on t training and skills of all persons working on the refrigerating plant (personnel involved in pla operation or monitoring). The standard emphasizes the need to recover and/or reuse refrigerants.
