Cubic Gas Sensing Solutions for Lifecycle Refrigerant Management

The Growing Climate Impact of Refrigerants

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), direct fugitive emissions from refrigeration and air-conditioning systems constitute a significant source of Scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions due to the high global warming potential of fluorinated refrigerants. Even relatively small losses of refrigerant during installation, operation, servicing, or equipment retirement can therefore translate into disproportionate climate impacts. As global cooling demand accelerates, the emissions are becoming a material and unavoidable concern for governments, industries, and asset owners alike. Therefore, refrigerant management must be addressed as a core climate priority.

Lifecycle Refrigerant Management as an Industry Response

In response to the challenge, global climate effort has increasingly shifted toward Lifecycle Refrigerant Management (LRM), which refers to the systematic control of refrigerants from production and initial charging, through operation and servicing, to recovery, reclamation, and final destruction. Unlike traditional approaches that focus primarily on operational efficiency, LRM recognizes that even small but continuous refrigerant leaks, along with uncontrolled servicing and end-of-life practices, can result in substantial cumulative emissions.

In practice, international experience shows that LRM can be effectively implemented at scale through coordinated policy and industry action. For example, Norway has aligned economic incentives with climate goals by linking refrigerant taxes to global warming potential and refunding fees upon verified destruction, while Japan enforces comprehensive, mandatory refrigerant recovery and destruction across the entire equipment lifecycle. Australia demonstrates the impact of a nationwide recovery network through Refrigerant Reclaim Australia, and the United States combines strong regulatory controls with voluntary programs such as the RAD initiative to drive high recovery rates in commercial systems.

Cubic Gas Sensing Solution for Lifecycle Refrigerant Management

As can be learn from the global representative practices, effective LRM strategies are therefore built on three key capabilities:

- Prevention and detection, minimizing refrigerant losses during operation and servicing through continuous monitoring;

- Recovery and circularity, ensuring refrigerants are properly recovered, recycled, or reclaimed rather than vented at end of life;

- Data transparency, enabling auditable tracking of refrigerant flows across the entire lifecycle.

In response to the global trend, Cubic, a leading manufacturer of gas sensors and analyzers, has developed NDIR refrigerant gas leak sensors which support a wide range of A2L and A3 refrigerants (including R32,R454A, R454B,R454C, R290), with select models certified to UL 60335-2-40 and UL 60335-2-89 standards certified.

Building on the refrigerant gas leak sensors, Cubic has developed the portable refrigerant leak detector for flexible, on-site measurement and fast verification of refrigerant leaks during installation, routine inspection, servicing, and end-of-life recovery, supporting effective lifecycle refrigerant management, and designed in accordance with EN 14624:2020 with the capability to detect various HFCs, HFOs, and blended refrigerants. 

In addition, Cubic offers NDIR refrigerant gas analyzer for accurate and stable measurement of emerging refrigerants. Designed in compliance with UL 60335-2-40 Annex MM, it supports precise and safe refrigerant monitoring across the lifecycle and can be used both as a reference analyzer for manufacturing and as a precision tool for refrigerant recovery, recycling, and reclamation operations, enabling accurate gas analysis and quality control within lifecycle refrigerant management.

With over 20 years of R&D experience in sensing technologies and strong in-house manufacturing capabilities, Cubic offers reliable solutions for Lifecycle Refrigerant Management (LRM). From refrigerant gas leak sensors to portable refrigerant leak detector, and refrigerant gas analyzer, the solutions reflect Cubic deep technical expertise and strong focus on practical application. As the industry evolves toward more efficient and comprehensive solutions, Cubic remains a trusted partner to customers and supports the future development of LRM industry.

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