CFC - These are the Chloro Fluoro Carbon refrigerants, such as R11, R12, R113, R114, etc.

These refrigerants
were identified as the most harmful to Ozone layer by the Montreal Protocol, and were phased
out in 2000.
There is extensive research going on to identify new refrigerants that can be used to replace
the CFC and HCFC
refrigerants. Currently R134a is the most commonly used new refrigerant. The various
refrigerants have different
characteristics, which make them suitable for a particular application.

A periodic refrigerant analysis is important to detect and control contaminants in the

refrigerant, which can result in
degradation / failure of the various components, and cause inefficient operation of the unit. A
log of the periodic
refrigerant analysis should be maintained for trending. Refrigerants should be tested for the
following contaminants

Moisture

Acid

Particulate/solids

Organic matter sludge, wax, tars

Non-condensable gases

Moisture is one of the primary causes of contamination-related problems in a refrigeration

system. It also results in
formation of some of the other contaminants mentioned above, which in turn cause further
damage to the chiller or
DX unit. Presence of moisture results in following undesirable effects:

Ice formation in evaporator, expansion valve or orifice.

Degradation of lubricating oil due to hydrolysis.

Acid formation due to hydrolysis of refrigerant in the presence of moisture and high
temperature.

Corrosion of metals.

Copper plating

The copper plating phenomenon essentially involves carryover of copper ions from exchanger
tubes to the steel

surfaces. Although the exact mechanism is not completely understood, it involves the following
three steps, 1)
oxidation of the copper due to contaminants such as air, moisture & acid, 2) solubilization and
transport of copper
ions by the lubricant, 3) deposition of the copper on hot clean steel surfaces such as bearings.
Excessive copper
plating can result in a compressor failure. Typically copper plating is a concern in systems with
high level of
contaminants and high bearing temperatures.