An industrial chiller containing 250 kg of R-134a has a leak exceeding the allowable annual leakage rate based on its nameplate GWP. The technician calculates the annual leakage rate to be 28 kg/year. What is the GWP threshold that makes this an 'excessive' leak under current Canadian regulations? (Refer to a GWP threshold like 10,000 tCO2e for 10 kg charge or >75% of 10,000 tCO2e for systems >10kg for relevant reference, if applicable from specific regulation context, usually it’s a direct threshold).

Question: An industrial chiller containing 250 kg of R-134a has a leak exceeding the allowable annual leakage rate based on its nameplate GWP. The technician calculates the annual leakage rate to be 28 kg/year. What is the GWP threshold that makes this an 'excessive' leak under current Canadian regulations? (Refer to a GWP threshold like 10,000 tCO2e for 10 kg charge or >75% of 10,000 tCO2e for systems >10kg for relevant reference, if applicable from specific regulation context, usually it’s a direct threshold).

Answer options:

• Exceeding 5% of charge annually for HFCs.
• Any leak that requires more than 50 kg of refrigerant in a year.
• An annual leakage rate of 10 kg of CO2 equivalent for systems with GWP >150 for charges over 10kg. ✅ An annual leakage rate of 10 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) for systems with a charge over 10 kg and GWP >150.

Correct answer: An annual leakage rate of 10 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) for systems with a charge over 10 kg and GWP >150.

Explanation: Under the Canadian ODS and Halocarbon Alternatives Regulations (CEPA), for systems with a charge over 10 kg of HFC refrigerant with GWP >150, an 'excessive' leak is defined as an annual release of 10 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) or more. Calculating 28 kg * 1430 (GWP for R-134a) = 40,040 kg CO2e = 40.04 tCO2e, which exceeds 10 tCO2e.