AEXANDRIA UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGINEERING MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT FOURTH YEAR

Report of

Type of Refrigerants

Prof. Dr .Mahmmud Bassiouny

Name/ Mohammed gamil Abou Elyazid Almanawy Sec / 8 No. Off/ 370

Refrigerants
A refrigerant is a substance used in a heat cycle usually including, for enhanced efficiency, a reversible phase change from a liquid to a gas. Traditionally, fluorocarbons, especially chlorofluorocarbons, were used as refrigerants, but they are being phased out because of their ozone depletion effects. Other common refrigerants used in various applications are ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and non-halogenated hydrocarbons such as methane.

Type of Refrigerants Carbon Dioxide Ammonia Air water Freon

Properties of refrigerants

- Low boiling point and high latent heat of vaporization

-Specific Enthalpy of Vaporization (latent heat) of refrigerant should be high. Otherwise mass flow rate will be high. -Thus 'Critical Temperature' of the refrigerant should be high. -Thus refrigerant vapor should have low 'Specific Volume'.

-Dense vapor -Low toxicity -Non flammable Low cost -Non-Corrosive -Stable -Non-flammable and Non-explosive -Compatible with crank case oil, oil seals, gaskets, metal involved, etc. -Easy leak detection possible -Non-Toxic -Environmental friendly -Cheap -Easily available -Easily stored

Carbon Dioxide
Carbon dioxide is non-flammable and non-toxic in contrast to other natural refrigerantshydrocarbons (flammable) and ammonia (flammable and toxic). Furthermore, it is inexpensive, widely available worldwide from numerous suppliers, and not subject to venting restrictions. The high operating pressures of CO2 also provide a potential opportunity for system size and weight reduction. The major challenge, however, is to design a cost-effective, efficient, reliable system that accommodates the unique characteristics of CO2, most significantly, five times the typical system operating pressure and a low critical temperature that requires cooling a supercritical fluid rather than condensing a two-phase mixture.

The application areas attracting the most interest today for CO2 are those where current system refrigerant leakage rates are high enough to attract regulatory attention, as well as in hightemperature heat-pump applications and in military cooling systems because of special logistics considerations.

- Properties of Carbon Dioxide

y y y y y y y y y y y

CO2 gas has a slightly irritating odor, is colorless and heavier than air. It cannot sustain life. It freezes at -78.5 C to form carbon dioxide snow. Liquid density : 1032 kg/m3 Liquid/gas equivalent: 845 vole/vole Depending on temperature and pressure, CO2 is a gas that exists in a gaseous, liquid or solid state. Colorless Inert, non flammable Odorless Taste is neutral. Non toxic Bacteria static

Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formulaNH3. It is a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent dour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or indirectly, is also a building-block for the synthesis of many pharmaceuticals. Although in wide use, ammonia is both caustic and hazardous. In 2006, worldwide production was estimated at 146.5 million tones. It is used in commercial cleaning products.

Properties of Ammonia - Ammonia is a chemical consisting of one atom of nitrogen and

three atoms of hydrogen - Ammonia is extremely soluble in water - Ammonia chemically combines with water to form ammonium hydroxide. Household ammonia is a diluted water solution containing 5 to 10 percent ammonia - Refrigerant grade anhydrous ammonia is a clear - Color less liquid or gas - Free from visible impurities

Air
Air-These are three older types of refrigerant that are effective, but no longer in widespread use. Air is non-toxic, but its somewhat common usage in the early days of refrigeration ended when more efficient chemical refrigerants were invented. However, due to environmental concerns, interest in air as a refrigerant is currently experiencing an upswing.

Water
Water Another safe and non-toxic option, and is used as the refrigerant in evaporative coolers (also known as swamp coolers).

Freon
FreonThis is the commercial trade name for a group of chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs, and also HFCs) refrigerants manufactured by the DuPont Company. After World War II, versions of this refrigerant were also manufactured to be used in aerosol spray cans and as solvents.

These refrigerants are very effective and well-regarded as nontoxic and nonflammable substances. However, their widespread use has been discovered to contribute to the depletion of the Earths ozone layer. Because of this, most are no longer used as air conditioner coolants in new systems. Different types of Freon are distinguished by their differing boiling points, and are designated Freon-11, Freon-12, with Freon-22, though it will still be produced for existing systems. The production of Freon-22 is to be phased-out completely by 2020.

Properties of Freon
y y y y y y y y y

It cannot sustain life. It freezes at -78.5 C to form carbon dioxide snow. Depending on temperature and pressure, liquid or solid state. Colorless Inert, non flammable Odorless Taste is neutral. Non toxic Bacteria static

R11 is a single chlorofluorocarbon or CFC compound. It has a high chlorine content and ozone depletion potential (ODP) and high global warming potential (GWP). The use and manufacture of R11 and similar CFC refrigerants is now banned within the European Union even for servicing. - ODP = 1, GWP = 4000 R22 is a single hydro chlorofluorocarbon or HCFC compound. It has low chlorine content and ozone depletion potential and only a modest global warming potential. R22 can still be used in small heat pump systems, but no more new systems can be manufactured for use in the EU after late 2003. From 2010 only recycled or saved stocks of R22 can be used, as it will no longer

be

manufactured.

ODP

0.05,

GWP

1700

R134A is a single hydro fluorocarbon or HFC compound. It has no chlorine content, no ozone depletion potential, and only a modest global warming potential. - ODP = 0, GWP = 1300 R407C is a ternary blend of hydro fluorocarbon or HFC compounds, comprising 23% of R32, 25% of R125 and 52% of R134a. It has no chlorine content, no ozone depletion potential, and only a modest direct global warming potential. - ODP = 0, GWP=1610. R410A is a binary blend of hydro fluorocarbon or HFC compounds, comprising 50% of R32 and 50% of R125) it has no chlorine content, no ozone depletion potential, and only a modest global warming potential. - ODP = 0, GWP 1890 R417A is the zero ODP replacement for R22 suitable for new equipment and as a drop-in replacement for existing systems. There are currently no restrictions on equipment or use of the following refrigerants: R134A, R407C, R410A, and R417A. R717 Ammonia is considered a high health hazard because it is corrosive to the skin, eyes, and lungs. Exposure to 300 pigmies is immediately dangerous to life and health. Ammonia is also flammable at concentrations of approximately 15% to 28% by volume in air. When mixed with lubricating oils, its flammable concentration range is increased. It can explode if released in an enclosed space with a source of ignition present, or if a

vessel containing anhydrous ammonia is exposed to fire. Fortunately, ammonia has a low odor threshold (20 pegs), so most people will seek relief at much lower concentrations. Ammonia has the distinct advantage of a high latent heat and excellent heat transfer properties. Ammonia is also

readily available at an economical cost when compared to other commercial refrigerants. These combined advantages are the principle reasons why ammonia is utilized in large refrigeration systems. From an environmental viewpoint, ammonia has no ozone depletion or global warming potential and is biodegradable.

Type CFC

Examples R12 R502 R11 R22 R409A R411B

ODP * High

GW P** High

Uses Widely used in most applications until 1990. Widely used in many applicatio ns. Not recommended for us after 1999. Used in industrial systems since the birth of refrigeration. Started to be used in place of CFCs from about 1990.

Other Issues Now phased out of producti on To be phased out of production in 2015. Their use is also regulated Increasingly strictly. Toxic and flammable , reacts with copper. Different compressor oil needed performanc e of some HFCs not as good As CFCs. Some reliability problems. Flammable, but are very good refrigerants with few changes needed to a

HCFC

Low

High

NH3 Ammonia

R717

Zero

Very low

HFC

R134a R404A R407C R410C R507

Zero

High

HC E.G. propane , Isobutane, iso-

R600a R290 Care 30 Care 50 R1270

Zero

Very low

R290 used in some industrial systems for decades. R600a now used In domestic

pentane

CO2 Zero Very low

systems. Care 30 and Care 50 now used in some commercial systems. Widely used before the 1950s but superseded by halocarbons. Now being Rediscovered as a primary and secondary refrigerant.

CFC/HCFC system.

Not yet widespre ad commerci al use as a primary refrigerant, but an Interesting prospect. (High operating pressures Require special materials and construction .)

Selecting the Right Refrigerant

A clear understanding of the cooling load to be met is the first and most important part of designing / selecting the components of a refrigeration system. Important factors to be considered in quantifying the load are the actual cooling need, heat (cool) leaks, and internal heat sources (from all heat generating equipment). Consideration should also be given to process changes and / or changes in ambient conditions that might affect the load in the future. Reducing the load, e.g. through better insulation, maintaining as high a cooling temperature as practical, etc. is the first step toward minimizing electrical power required to meet refrigeration needs. With a quantitative understanding of the required temperatures and the maximum, minimum, and average expected cooling demands, selection of appropriate refrigeration system (single-stage / multi-stage, economized compression, compound / cascade operation, direct cooling / secondary coolants) and equipment (type of refrigerant, compressor, evaporator, condenser, etc.) can be undertaken.

Ozone Depletion Potential ODP - The ODP or Ozone Depletion Potential is the potential for a single
molecule of the refrigerant to destroy the Ozone Layer. All of the refrigerants use R11 as a datum reference and thus R11 has an ODP of 1.0. The less the value of the ODP the better the refrigerant is for the ozone layer and therefore the environment.

Global Warming Potential GWP - The GWP, or Global Warming Potential, is a measurement of
how much effect the given refrigerant will have on Global Warming in relation to Carbon Dioxide, where CO2 has a GWP of 1. This is usually measured over a 100-year period. In this case the lower the value of GWP the better the refrigerant is for the environment.