Device that detects and reports refrigerant losses automatically. If one is installed, the intervals between leak tests get longer.
A leak detection system is, under Article 3, point (26) of the F-gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573, a calibrated mechanical, electrical or electronic device for detecting leaks of fluorinated greenhouse gases that alerts the operator when it detects one. It detects refrigerant losses and sets off an alarm. It does not monitor the general condition of the equipment.
It is mandatory for stationary refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pump and fire protection equipment from 500 t CO₂ equivalent (Article 6(1)). For organic Rankine cycles and electrical switchgear from 500 t, the duty applies if they were installed from January 1, 2017. The system must alert the operator or a service company to any leak, and it has to be checked for proper functioning at least once every 12 months, and for switchgear at least every six years (Article 6(3) and (4)). Below the threshold, a system is voluntary but has advantages. The intervals between leak checks double (Article 5(6)), from 12 to 24, from six to 12 and from three to six months. The checks themselves do not go away.
For cost and liability, proof is what counts. Whoever installs or has to operate a system needs documents on function checks and calibration. The alarm route also has to be clear: define who receives the alert, who responds and within what time. If a leak is detected, the equipment must be repaired without undue delay (Article 4(5)), and after the repair a certified person confirms that the repair was effective. For a voluntary retrofit, set the purchase price and the function checks against the checks saved, and take into account that a leak caught early saves refrigerant.
What matters
- Check for each system whether the charge reaches the threshold of 500 t CO₂ equivalent.
- Have the function check and calibration of the system confirmed regularly.
- Set the alarm route and response time in the maintenance contract.
- Enter alarms, repairs and checks in the records.
Suppose a refrigeration system is just under 50 t CO₂ equivalent and is currently leak-checked every 12 months. The operator has a leak detection system retrofitted and can extend the interval between checks to 24 months. He agrees with the service company that alarms go to a fixed phone number, and records the system's function check in the system log.
In the original wording
“‘leakage detection system’ means a calibrated mechanical, electrical or electronic device for detecting leakage of fluorinated greenhouse gases which, on detection, alerts the operator”
“Operators of stationary equipment listed in Article 5(2), points (a) to (d), that contains fluorinated greenhouse gases listed in Annex I in quantities of 500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent or more or 100 kilograms or more of gases listed in Section 1 of Annex II, shall ensure that the equipment has a leakage detection system which alerts the operator or a service company of any leakage.”