Overview of New and Alternative Refrigerants

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Overview of New and Alternative Refrigerants BNCR35: Overview of New and Alternative Refrigerants Version 1.2 This Briefing Note and referenced information is a public consultation document and will be used to inform Government decisions. The information and analysis form part of the Evidence Base created by Defra’s Market Transformation Programme. 1 Summary This Briefing note is an overview of existing and alternative refrigerants and includes summary of main legislations and regulations. It also illustrates main characteristics of these refrigerants and their application and usage. All existing and new/alternative refrigerants and their corresponding designation and composition are listed in Appendix 1. 2 Introduction With the discovery of the link between chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and the depletion of the ozone layer, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) formulated the Montreal Protocol in 1987 to phase-out the use and production of these substances. In response to the Montreal Protocol, alternative refrigerants were sought, and this search produced a number of potential substances for applications where only CFCs and HCFCs were previously used: hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), hydrocarbons (HCs), ammonia and carbon dioxide (CO 2). Simultaneously, attention focussed on the issue of climate change. Subsequently, the Kyoto Protocol was developed under the UN in 1997, which prescribes the limitation and reduction of emissions of a group of anthropogenic “greenhouse gases” (GHGs): CO 2, nitrous oxide (N 2O), methane (CH 4), HFCs, perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF 6). Numerous governments, including the European Union, have since published legislation to help meet the Kyoto targets for emissions reduction. In order to quantify the contribution of these gases to climate change, the discussions on climate change in 1990 adopted the use of Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the gas (IPCC, 1990). GWP is a measure of the insulating properties that a gas has on the heat radiating away from the surface of the earth, and is relative to the effect of one kilogram of CO 2. Ultimately, these political actions have resulted in a drive by the refrigeration and air- conditioning (RAC) industry to reduce the environmental impact of systems, manifest Version: 1.2 First created: 20/12/2006 Updated: 28/11/07 www.mtprog.com Last reviewed: 07/01/08 1 of 12 0845 600 8951 as development of new refrigerants and cooling technologies. This document addresses the following related issues: • Refrigerant options • Characteristics of alternative refrigerants • Environmental impact • Efficiency and applications of alternative refrigerants • Refrigerant leakage • Recent developments and technical barriers The number of available refrigerants is vast. Appendix 1 lists those with an “R- number”, as defined in EN 378: 2000 (and ISO 817 and ASHRAE standard 34). Out of about 110 designated refrigerants (excluding CFCs) only about ten are being used extensively in industry. In addition there are several hundred commercially available fluids that have not been allocated an R- number to date. In order to maintain focus, only refrigerants with an R- number and those significant to future use will be discussed henceforth. 3 Summary of refrigerant options 3.1 Legislative requirements The possible choice of refrigerant for new systems varies globally as a result of national and regional legislation, but is largely dictated by the requirements of the Montreal Protocol (and subsequent amendments). In general, CFCs have already been prohibited in developed countries (from 2001 in the EU), and phase-out of HCFCs is occurring at present. However, a large number of countries have produced national legislation that accelerates these phase-out schedules; within the EU as from 2004 HCFCs were prohibited in all new systems and their use for servicing (including recycled HCFCs) will also cease in 2015. Similarly, national and regional legislation originating from the Kyoto Protocol will also impact on refrigerant choice. For example, in Denmark, Norway, Austria and Switzerland the use of high-GWP refrigerants is being prohibited in a number of different applications and/or a GWP- tax is applied to the purchase of such refrigerants. To date the UK Government has not produced any specific legislation, although in their Climate Change Programme they provide a general policy on HFCs. This states that “HFCs should only be used where other safe, technically feasible, cost effective and more environmentally acceptable alternatives do not exist”, and that “HFCs are not sustainable in the long term – the Government believes that continued technological developments will mean that HFCs may eventually be able to be replaced in the applications where they are used” (DEFRA, 2006). New European legislation (which was agreed in January 2006) has imposed some controls on the use of HFCs (the “F-gas” regulation and directive). The main provisions in the regulation (Regulation EC No 842/2006 on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases) cover: Version: 1.2 First created: 20/12/2006 Updated: 28/11/07 www.mtprog.com Last reviewed: 07/01/08 2 of 12 0845 600 8951 • containment through responsible handling during use; • recycling and end-of-life recovery; • training and certification for personnel involved in the containment and recovery of f-gases; • reporting on quantities produced, supplied, used and emitted; • labelling of products and equipment; • certain application specific controls on use; • certain placing on the market prohibitions. The directive (Directive 2006/40/EC relating to emissions from air-conditioning systems in motor vehicles) will place restrictions on the types of Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) systems fitted to vehicles before vehicles are approved for sale, and specifically: • a two-step phase out of MACs that use f-gases with a GWP greater than 150: 1 January 2011 for new types of vehicle, and 1 January 2007 the sunset date for all new vehicles; • maximum annual leakage limits within the interim period before the phase out; • controls on refilling and retrofitting for these systems. Both the Regulation and Directive will enter into force in 2006 with the main body of the provisions in the set to apply from one or two years after that date. 3.2 Characteristics of common refrigerant types This section provides a summary of the various types of refrigerants that are broadly applicable to domestic and commercial RAC equipment. Important characteristics such as chemistry and compatibility, pressure-temperature and thermophysical properties, safety (toxicity and flammability) and direct environmental impact are mentioned. A comprehensive list of refrigerants is provided in Appendix 1, including basic information on composition, normal boiling point (NBP), safety and environmental data. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) CFCs and HCFCs were the standard refrigerants for most new RAC applications, and R12 and more so R22 are the reference fluids for the development of new refrigerants. In general, CFCs and HCFCs have broad compatibility with many materials, adequate solubility with most types of refrigeration oils (although most often used with mineral oils) and are relatively tolerant of contaminants in the system. Amongst the various fluids in these groups, a wide range of pressure/temperature characteristics are available and their favourable thermophysical properties result in good cycle/system efficiency. Version: 1.2 First created: 20/12/2006 Updated: 28/11/07 www.mtprog.com Last reviewed: 07/01/08 3 of 12 0845 600 8951 Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) HFCs such as R134a, R404A 1 and R407C have dominated the replacement of CFCs and HCFCs, mainly because they broadly possess similar chemical, thermodynamic and flammability/toxicity characteristics as well as having been extensively marketed by manufactures. However HFCs are more difficult to apply because of poor compatibility with construction materials and in particular mineral oils, which has meant that certain synthetic lubricants, typically polyolesters (POEs) and polyalkylglycols (PAGs) have to be used instead. Moreover, they are less tolerant to contaminants within the system. Most HFCs are used in binary or tertiary mixtures, partially to suit certain desired operating characteristics such as replicating R22. HFCs tend to have low toxicity and are largely non-flammable, although a couple of fluids, such as R32 and R152a that are used in several blends are flammable. In terms of environmental impacts, although HFCs have a negligible ODP they do retain the high GWP characteristic of most fluorinated refrigerants, hence the introduction of afore mentioned legislation. Of lesser importance are some other environmental impacts associated with HFC production and emissions, including the release of ozone depleting substances during their manufacture (Banks and Sharratt, 1996) and the production of trifluoroacetic acid as a decomposition product which is highly persistent and bio-accumulative may be harmful to aquatic life (IPCC/TEAP, 2005). Hydrocarbons (HCs) HC refrigerants include a broad range of substances (e.g., R600a and R290) that cover the range of pressure-temperature characteristics of the conventional CFC and HCFC fluids, and they have been used since the evolution of mechanical refrigeration. Also their good material compatibility and solubility with lubricants is comparable to that of the CFCs. Certain thermophysical properties do differ from the fluorinated fluids, particularly
Recommended publications
  • Proposed Rule: Protection of Stratospheric Ozone
    The EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy, signed the following proposed rule on October 15, 2015, and EPA is submitting it for publication in the Federal Register (FR). While we have taken steps to ensure the accuracy of this Internet version of the rule, it is not the official version of the rule for purposes of public comment. Please refer to the official version in a forthcoming FR publication, which will appear on the Government Printing Office's FDsys website (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/home.action) and on Regulations.gov (http://www.regulations.gov) in Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0453. Once the official version of this document is published in the FR, this version will be removed from the Internet and replaced with a link to the official version. This document is a prepublication version, signed by the EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy, on October 15, 2015. We have taken steps to ensure the accuracy of this version, but it is not the official version. 6560-50-P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 82 [EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0453; FRL-9933-48-OAR] RIN: 2060-AS51 Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Update to the Refrigerant Management Requirements under the Clean Air Act AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY: The Clean Air Act prohibits the knowing release of ozone-depleting and substitute refrigerants during the course of maintaining, servicing, repairing, or disposing of appliances or industrial process refrigeration. The existing regulations require that persons servicing or disposing of air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment observe certain service practices that reduce emissions of ozone-depleting refrigerant.
    [Show full text]
  • Commissioning of a Refrigerant Test Unit and Assessing the Performance of Refrigerant Blends
    COMMISSIONING OF A REFRIGERANT TEST UNIT AND ASSESSING THE PERFORMANCE OF REFRIGERANT BLENDS Ndlovu Phakamile B. Eng. (Hons) NUST Zimbabwe Submitted in fulfilment of the Academic Requirements for the Awards of the Master of Science Degree in Engineering at the School of Chemical Engineering, University of KwaZulu-Natal. December 2017 Supervisor: Prof Paramespri Naidoo. Co-supervisors: Prof Deresh Ramjugernath, Prof J.D Raal and Dr Caleb Narasigadu As the candidate’s supervisor I agree to the submission of this thesis: Prof. P. Naidoo Date Declaration I, Ndlovu Phakamile, student number 216074625 declare that: (i) The research reported in this dissertation, except where otherwise indicated or acknowledged, is my original work. (ii) This dissertation has not been submitted in full or in part for any degree or examination to any other university. (iii) This dissertation does not contain other persons’ data, pictures, graphs or other information unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other persons. (iv) This dissertation does not contain other persons’ writing unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other researchers. Where other written sources have been quoted, then: a) Their words have been rewritten but the general information attributed to them has been referenced. b) Where their exact words have been used, their writing has been placed inside quotation marks, and referenced. (v) This dissertation is primarily a collection of material, prepared by myself, published as journal articles or presented as a poster and oral presentations at conferences. In some cases, additional material has been included. Signed: Date: i Acknowledgements I would like to thank God, the one “in whom we live and move and have our being” Acts 17 vs 28, who made it possible for me accomplish this feat.
    [Show full text]
  • Accounting Tool to Support Federal Reporting of Hydrofluorocarbon Emissions: SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
    Accounting Tool to Support Federal Reporting of Hydrofluorocarbon Emissions: SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION P REPARED FOR : Stratospheric Protection Division Office of Air and Radiation U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 P R E P A R E D B Y : ICF 1725 Eye Street NW Washington, DC 20006 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 6 Accounting Tool to Support Federal Reporting of HFC Emissions Contents Contents ......................................................................................................................................................... i 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 2 2 HFC Emissions Accounting Tool Overview ............................................................................................ 5 2.1 Summary of Capabilities and Scope .............................................................................................. 5 3 HFC Emission Estimation Methodologies ............................................................................................. 8 3.1 Existing CEQ Guidance Methodologies ....................................................................................... 10 3.1.1 Federal Supply System Transaction Approach (Default) Approach .................................... 10 3.1.2 Material Balance Approach ................................................................................................. 11 3.1.3 Simplified Material Balance Approach ...............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Note: This Is a Courtesy Copy of This Rule Proposal. the Official Version Will Be Published in the June 21, 2021, New Jersey Register
    NOTE: THIS IS A COURTESY COPY OF THIS RULE PROPOSAL. THE OFFICIAL VERSION WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE JUNE 21, 2021, NEW JERSEY REGISTER. SHOULD THERE BE ANY DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN THIS TEXT AND THE OFFICIAL VERSION OF THE PROPOSAL, THE OFFICIAL VERSION WILL GOVERN. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AIR QUALITY, ENERGY, AND SUSTAINABILITY Greenhouse Gas Monitoring and Reporting Proposed New Rules: N.J.A.C. 7:27E Proposed Amendments: N.J.A.C. 7:27-21.2, 21.3, and 21.5; and 7:27A-3.2, 3.5, and 3.10 Authorized By: Shawn M. LaTourette, Acting Commissioner, Department of Environmental Protection. Authority: N.J.S.A. 13:1B-3, 13:1D-9, 26:2C-1 et seq., and 26:2C-37 et seq., specifically, 26:2C- 41. Calendar Reference: See Summary below for explanation of exception to calendar requirement. DEP Docket Number: 06-21-05. Proposal Number: PRN 2021-058. A public hearing concerning this notice of proposal will be held on July 22, 2021, at 1:00 P.M. The public hearing will be conducted virtually through the Department of Environmental Protection’s (Department) video conferencing software, Microsoft Teams. A link to the virtual public hearing with telephone call-in option will be provided on the Department’s website at https://www.nj.gov/dep/rules/notices.html. Submit comments by August 20, 2021, electronically at http://www.nj.gov/dep/rules/comments. Each comment should be identified by the applicable N.J.A.C. citation, with the commenter’s name and affiliation following the comment. The 1 NOTE: THIS IS A COURTESY COPY OF THIS RULE PROPOSAL.
    [Show full text]
  • Denmark: Low GWP Alternatives to Hfcs in Refrigeration
    Low GWP Alternatives to HFCs in Refrigeration Environmental Projekt no. 1425 Titel: Redaktion: Low GWP Alternatives to HFCs in Refrigeration Per Henrik Pedersen Danish Technological Institute Udgiver: Foto: Miljøstyrelsen Strandgade 29 1401 København K Illustration: www.mst.dk År: Kort: 2012 ISBN nr.: 978-87-92903-15-0 Ansvarsfraskrivelse: Miljøstyrelsen vil, når lejligheden gives, offentliggøre rapporter og indlæg vedrørende forsknings- og udviklingsprojekter inden for miljøsektoren, finansieret af Miljøstyrelsens undersøgelsesbevilling. Det skal bemærkes, at en sådan offentliggørelse ikke nødvendigvis betyder, at det pågældende indlæg giver udtryk for Miljøstyrelsens synspunkter. Offentliggørelsen betyder imidlertid, at Miljøstyrelsen finder, at indholdet udgør et væsentligt indlæg i debatten omkring den danske miljøpolitik. Må citeres med kildeangivelse. 3 Contents 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 6 1.1 The greenhouse effect and potent greenhouse gases ........................................................... 6 1.2 Participants .............................................................................................................................7 2. Danish National Initiatives ................................................................................. 8 3. The use of HFCs and substitutes in the refrigeration industry ............................ 11 3.1 Domestic refrigerators and freezers ....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • +4000044- IT-EN-ES 1-3 Refrigerant Scenario NERO.Indd
    Knowledge Center White paper Refrigerant scenario Rules and trends in the near future Concerns on environmental issues such as the greenhouse effect are driving governments to create new rules to control emissions . In the coming years, significant actions are planned, and refrigerants will be particularly affected . Information is continuously being updated and the specificities of regulations create many questions among manufacturers and users: How do the rules affect the most common refrigerants? What are the trends? Which is the best refrigerant for each application? CAREL can help you answer these questions and find solutions that are compatible with the new regulations worldwide . Do not hesitate to contact us for further information about the contents of this paper: Knowledge Center CAREL Industries [email protected] (+39) 0499 716611 Index Rules and regulations . .. 5 Refrigerant history overview . 7 What are the rules in different parts of the world? . 8 Is GWP the best indicator of the environmental impact of a refrigerant? . 13 How do the rules affect the most common refrigerants? . 14 Which is the best refrigerant? . 16 Trends in HVAC/R applications . 17 How will the new regulations affect the refrigerant applications market? . 19 What are the trends?. 20 What will happen next? .. 24 Annex . 25 Definition of terms CFC (Chlorofluorocarbon): substance which contains fluorine, carbon and chlorine . They are considered the “first generation” of refrigerants . CFC refrigerants have ODP and are greenhouse gases (high GWP) . E .g . R-12 . Glide: temperature difference between the starting and ending temperature of a refrigerant phase change . It occurs when a refrigerant is a blend of components with different evaporation/condensation temperatures at the same pressure .
    [Show full text]
  • REFRIGERATION & AIR CONDITIONING CFC and HCFC
    Refrigeration.leaflet 19/12/00 12:45 pm Page i REFRIGERATION & AIR CONDITIONING CFC and HCFC Phase Out: Advice on Alternatives and Guidelines for Users Refrigeration.leaflet 19/12/00 12:45 pm Page ii This leaflet has been produced by DETR/DTI to provide guidance to industry on the likely consequences of the new EC Regulation. It should not be relied upon as a definitive statement of the law and is not a substitute for legal advice. Interpretation of the law is a matter for the courts. DETR and DTI accept no liability for any loss resulting from reliance on this document. Refrigeration.leaflet 19/12/00 12:45 pm Page 1 Contents Aim of this Guide.......................................................2 Summary of the new EC Regulation ..........................3 Impact of the new EC Regulation on refrigeration.......4 Which refrigerants are affected?.................................7 Applications of CFC and HCFC refrigerants ................8 How should you respond to ODS phase out?............10 Response for Category 1 users.................................11 Response for Category 2 users.................................12 Step 1 – Equipment identification ............................14 Step 2 – Issues to consider......................................15 Step 3 – The alternative approaches ........................19 Step 4 – Implementation..........................................23 Useful information ...................................................25 Appendix A – Refrigerant names..............................27 Glossary of terms CFC chlorofluorocarbon ODS ozone depleting substances HCFC hydrochlorofluorocarbon ODP ozone depletion potential HFC hydrofluorocarbon GWP global warming potential HC hydrocarbon 1 Refrigeration.leaflet 19/12/00 12:45 pm Page 2 Aim of this Guide This Guide provides details of how the new EC Regulation 2037/2000 on ozone depleting substances (ODS) will affect manufacture and use of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment.
    [Show full text]
  • Instructions for Generating and Implementing Look-Up Tables with Refrigerant Thermophysical Properties in EVAP-COND Ver
    December 4, 2020 Instructions for generating and implementing look-up tables with refrigerant thermophysical properties in EVAP-COND Ver. 5.0 EVAP-COND uses refrigerant property look-up tables to facilitate fast simulations. The tables provide all thermodynamic and transport properties. The look-up scheme includes eight different property routines to retrieve the desired state or transport property depending on the properties identifying the refrigerant's thermodynamic state. The tables are based on pressure-enthalpy coordinates and can cover the supercritical region for high-pressure refrigerants. The tables for 23 refrigerants included in the EVAP-COND installation package were generated using TableGen2.exe, a stand-alone program, which is based on property routines contained in REFPROP (Lemmon et al., 2018). EVAP-COND uses separate look-up tables with different low- and high-pressure limits for EVAP (evaporator model) and COND (condenser model). Except for R744 (carbon dioxide), the evaporator property look-up tables cover the -32 °C to +28 °C (-25.6 °F to 84.2 °F) range of bubble-point temperatures. For condenser simulations, the temperature range is approximately 10 °C to 70 °C (50 °F to 158 °F) for all fluids except R507A (10 °C to 68.5 °C; 50 °F to 155.3 °F) and R32, R404A, R410A and R744, for which the table extends to the supercritical region. If EVAP or COND calls for a refrigerant property that is outside the bounds of the look-up table, this property is calculated by REFPROP routines. To expand the list of refrigerants available in EVAP-COND, you need to generate separate look-up tables for EVAP and COND and copy them to four EVAP-COND folders.
    [Show full text]
  • List of Refrigerants
    Refrigerant Table: Explanation and Glossary of Terms A reference list of refrigerants which is intended to provide an indication of the basic characteristics, properties and applications for a variety of refrigerants along with some replacement options was prepared upon the recommendation of HRAI’s Task Team on the Future of Refrigerants. This list is intended to assist contractors as a convenient reference when selecting suitable replacement/substitute refrigerants for those refrigerants (CFC and any HCFC) which are being phased out. While refrigerant manufacturers may indicate some products are suitable for retrofit applications, the contractor will need to consider the application in order to determine the extent of system modifications that may be required to accommodate the replacement refrigerant. Currently, one must verify with the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to determine compatibility of alternative refrigerants with the equipment, or have a Professional Engineer sign off. Unless otherwise specified, few if any replacement refrigerants in the table are certified as a direct drop‐in replacement, in fact most are certified for new equipment only and are not suitable for retrofit applications. Contractors would still have to determine which products are suitable for their particular application, if equipment replacement or retrofit options exist, which system modifications may be required and choose accordingly. Depending on the age of the existing equipment and the extent of system modifications required to accommodate an alternate refrigerant, it may prove to be more cost effective in the long run to replace equipment outright. As the phase down of certain refrigerants causes them to become scarcer, decreasing availability and increasing cost can be expected to result in the change‐out of entire systems to more energy efficient equipment and environmentally friendly refrigerants.
    [Show full text]
  • December 1, 2016 / Rules and Regulations
    86778 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 231 / Thursday, December 1, 2016 / Rules and Regulations ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday 3. Unacceptable Listing of Certain AGENCY through Friday, excluding legal Flammable Refrigerants for Retrofits in holidays. The telephone number for the Unitary Split AC Systems and Heat 40 CFR Part 82 Public Reading Room is (202) 566–1744, Pumps 4. Unacceptable Listing of Propylene and [EPA–HQ–OAR–2015–0663; FRL–9952–18– and the telephone number for the Air R-443A in New Residential and Light OAR] and Radiation Docket is (202) 566–1742. Commercial AC and Heat Pumps, Cold FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Storage Warehouses, and Centrifugal and RIN 2060–AS80 Chenise Farquharson, Stratospheric Positive Displacement Chillers Protection Division, Office of 5. Change of Listing Status for Certain HFC Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: Refrigerants for New Centrifugal Chillers New Listings of Substitutes; Changes Atmospheric Programs (Mail Code 6205T), Environmental Protection and for New Positive Displacement of Listing Status; and Reinterpretation Chillers of Unacceptability for Closed Cell Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 6. Change of Listing Status for Certain HFC Foam Products Under the Significant Washington, DC 20460; telephone Refrigerants for New Cold Storage New Alternatives Policy Program; and number: 202–564–7768; email address: Warehouses Revision of Clean Air Act Section 608 [email protected]. Notices 7. Change of Listing Status for Certain HFC Venting Prohibition for Propane and rulemakings under EPA’s Refrigerants for New Retail Food Significant New Alternatives Policy Refrigeration (Refrigerated Food AGENCY: Environmental Protection program are available on EPA’s Processing and Dispensing Equipment) Agency (EPA).
    [Show full text]
  • Refrigerants-Classification, Properties & Application
    properties Classification Refrigerant Refrigerants-Classification, Properties & Application Definition of refrigerant its classification- primary refrigerant, secondary refrigerants, History of refrigerants, Designation and classification of refrigerants, Properties of refrigerants – thermodynamic properties, chemical properties and physical properties, Refrigerants in use after 2000, Ozone layer depletion and global warming potential of CHC refrigerants, Introduction to eco-friendly refrigerants. Definition of Refrigerant and its Classification The working substance or heat transferring medium in a refrigeration system is called refrigerant. It absorbs heat from the sink at the low temperature and rejects to a source at the higher temperature. In domestic refrigerator, refrigerant absorbs heat in the evaporator and rejects heat to the atmosphere in the condenser. The refrigerant changes from liquid phase to vapour phase in the process of absorbing the heat and condenses again to liquid while rejecting the heat. The ideal refrigerant would be one that could reject all the heat it is capable of absorbing. History of refrigerants The natural ice and mixtures of ice and salt were the first refrigerants used by human beings to produce cold. Latter either, ammonia, sulphur dioxide, methyl chloride, ethyl chloride, and carbon dioxide were used as the refrigerants. Most of these refrigerants were discarded for safety reasons and for lack of thermal stability. In 1901—30, hydro-carbon compounds like methane, ethane etc. were used as a refrigerants. However, hydro-carbons were found extremely inflammable. In 1930s, a great break through occurred. Fluorinated hydro-carbons or freons were developed. These are derived from methane, ethane etc. are called F11, F12, F22 etc. Refrigerants are classified according the manner of absorption heat from the substance to be refrigerated.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Protection Agency 40 CFR Part 82
    This document is a prepublication version, signed by Administrator Gina McCarthy on 9/26/2016. We have taken steps to ensure the accuracy of this version, but it is not the official version. The EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy, signed the following document on 9/26/2016, and the Agency is submitting it for publication in the Federal Register (FR). While we have taken steps to ensure the accuracy of this Internet version of the document, it is not the official version. Please refer to the official version in a forthcoming FR publication, which will appear on the Government Printing Office's FDSys website (http://fdsys.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/home.action) and on Regulations.gov (www.regulations.gov) in Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0663. Once the official version of this document is published in the FR, this version will be removed from the Internet and replaced with a link to the official version. 6560-50-P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 82 [EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0663; FRL-9952-18-OAR] RIN 2060-AS80 Protection of Stratospheric Ozone: New Listings of Substitutes; Changes of Listing Status; and Reinterpretation of Unacceptability for Closed Cell Foam Products under the Significant New Alternatives Policy Program; and Revision of Clean Air Act Section 608 Venting Prohibition for Propane AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Final Rule. SUMMARY: Pursuant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Significant New Alternatives Policy program, this action lists certain substances as acceptable, subject to use conditions; lists several substances as unacceptable; and changes the listing status for certain substances from acceptable to acceptable, subject to narrowed use limits, or to unacceptable.
    [Show full text]