SPPU, Pune

Matoshri College of Engineering and Research Centre, Nashik

T.E. Mechanical Engineering (2015 Course)

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
(302049)

Unit 1 (B)
Refrigerants
by
Prof. P. S. Desale

Refrigerants 1
 Syllabus
1. Classification of Refrigerants
2. Designation of Refrigerants
3. Desirable Properties of Refrigerant
4. Environmental Issues (ODP, GWP & LCCP)
5. Selection of Environmental Friendly
Refrigerant
6. Secondary Refrigerant
7. Antifreeze Solutions
8. Recovery, Reclaim, Recycle & Recharge.
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 Refrigerant : Definition
• Refrigerant is a fluid used for Heat Transfer in a
refrigerating system that absorbs heat from the
region of low temperature and releases heat to the
region of high temperature.

• Most of the refrigerants undergo phase change during

heat absorption (Evaporation) and heat releasing
(Condensation), like refrigerants used in VCC and VAC.
• Cycles with “air” as a working fluid (e.g. Bell Coleman,
Reversed Brayton Cycle) does not involve phase
change

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 Refrigerant : Definition
• Primary Refrigerant:
- It is a fluid which is directly used as Working Medium for any
refrigerating cycle.
- Generally most of the primary refrigerants undergo Phase Change
Processes like Evaporation and Condensation.

e.g. R134a, R22, NH3, etc.

• Secondary Refrigerant:
- It is used as medium for transporting thermal energy from one
location to other.
- They do not change phase during the operation.
- Primary refrigerants absorbs heat from the space to be cooled and
transports it to the Primary refrigerant.
e.g. Water (for Above 0oC Application),
Antifreeze Solutions like Brine (Ethylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Sodium
Chloride, Calcium Chloride) etc.

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1. Classification of Refrigerants

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 2. Designation of Refrigerants
1. Classification of Refrigerants

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Refrigerants 7
 3. Desirable Properties of
Refrigerant
1) Thermodynamic Properties
2) Chemical Properties
3) Physical Properties
4) Environmental Properties

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 3. Desirable Properties of
Refrigerant
1) Thermodynamic Properties

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 3. Desirable Properties of
Refrigerant
2) Chemical Properties

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 3. Desirable Properties of
Refrigerant
3) Physical Properties

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 3. Desirable Properties of
Refrigerant
4) Environmental Properties

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4. Environmental Issues
Ozone Depletion

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 4. Environmental Issues
Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP)
• To compare the relative ozone depletion
caused by various refrigerants, an index called
the Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) has been
proposed.
• ODP is the ratio of the rate of ozone
depletion of 1 lb of any halocarbon to that of
1 lb of CFC-11.
• The ODP of CFC-11 is assigned a value of 1.
• According to Montreal Protocol, the ODP
should be zero
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 4. Environmental Issues
Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP)

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 4. Environmental Issues
Global Warming Potential (GWP)
• Global warming potential (GWP) is a relative
measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps
in the atmosphere.
• It compares the amount of heat trapped by a certain
mass of the Refrigerant to the amount of heat
trapped by a similar mass of carbon dioxide.
• GWP of CO2 is standardized to 1
• Refrigerants should have as low a GWP value as
possible to minimize the problem of global warming.
• Refrigerants with zero ODP but a high value of GWP
(e.g. R134a) are likely to be regulated in future.
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 4. Environmental Issues
Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI)

• In addition to the direct impact of the refrigerant (which

is conveniently estimated by GWP), any system or
process, which requires energy input, indirectly affects
the environment.
• This impact is originated from CO2 emissions from the
energy production processes.
• TEWI accounts for the global warming impact from both
direct and indirect emissions.
• It is calculated as a sum of both: direct effect of
refrigerant released during the lifetime of the equipment
and the indirect impact of CO2 emissions from fossil
fuels used to generate energy to operate the equipment
throughout its lifetime.

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 4. Environmental Issues
Life-Cycle Climate Performance (LCCP)
• It also counts the environmental impact of
substances emitted during the process of
refrigerant Production and
Transportation.
• This environmental effect, together with
environmental effects already accounted in
TEWI, is known as the life-cycle climate
performance (LCCP)

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5. Selection of Environmental
Friendly Refrigerant

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 6. Secondary Refrigerant
• Primary Refrigerant:
- It is a fluid which is directly used as Working Medium for any
refrigerating cycle.
- Generally most of the primary refrigerants undergo Phase Change
Processes like Evaporation and Condensation.

e.g. R134a, R22, NH3, etc.

• Secondary Refrigerant:
- It is used as medium for transporting thermal energy from one
location to other.
- They do not change phase during the operation.
- Primary refrigerants absorbs heat from the space to be cooled and
transports it to the Primary refrigerant.
e.g. Water (for Above 0oC Application),
Antifreeze Solutions like Brine (Ethylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Sodium
Chloride, Calcium Chloride) etc.

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 7. Antifreeze Solutions
• An antifreeze is an additive which lowers
the freezing point of a water-based liquid
and increases its boiling point.
• The freezing point is reduced below 0 °C
• These are used as secondary Refrigerants
in refrigerating and air conditioning
systems.
• Brine (Ethylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol,
Sodium Chloride, Calcium Chloride) etc
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 8. Recovery, Recycle, Reclaim &
Recharge
Recovery:
• Recovery refers to the removal of refrigerants from equipment and collection
in an approved recovery container.

• As defined by the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), recovery

does not involve processing or analytical testing.

• The recovery of CFC or HCFC refrigerant must be performed by

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Certified Technicians using EPA
certified refrigerant recovery equipment.

• The portable devices contain a small compressor and an air-cooled condenser,

and may be used for vapor or liquid recovery.

• At the end of the recovery cycle, the system is evacuated to remove vapors.

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 8. Recovery, Recycle, Reclaim &
Recharge
Recycle:
• Refrigerant recycle refers to the reduction of used Refrigerant
Contaminants using devices like Core Filter-Driers, that reduce oil,
water, acidity, and particulates .

• Recycle is usually a field procedure with no analytical testing of

refrigerant.

• Refrigerants are recycled using the devices where entire charge is

removed from the refrigeration equipment, cleaned and recycled.

• If routinely recycling is done through several cycles, It is recommend

that the composition of the refrigerant should be checked periodically.
• If the composition is shifted, loss of performance may occur.

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 8. Recovery, Recycle, Reclaim &
Recharge
Reclaim:
• Reclamation refers to the Reprocessing of used refrigerants to
AHRI Standard 700 specifications.

• Reclaim includes Filtering, Separation, Distillation, Dilution,

or Reformulation of the recovered refrigerant.

• Quality of reclaimed product is verified by chemical analysis.

• Reclaimed refrigerant can be used in different system than the

system from which it was recovered. It also can be resold.

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 8. Recovery, Recycle, Reclaim &
Recharge
Disposal:

• Disposal refers to the Destruction of used

refrigerants.

• Disposal may be necessary when refrigerants

have become badly contaminated with other
products and no longer meet the acceptance
specifications of the manufacturer and other
reclaimers.

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 8. Recovery, Recycle, Reclaim &
Recharge
Disposal:
• Following Technologies are used to Dispose the
refrigerant:
-Liquid Injection Incineration
-Reactor Cracking
-Gaseous/Fume Oxidation
-Rotary Kiln Incineration
-Cement Kiln
-Radio Frequency Plasma
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