Introduction:

Important practical issues in any refrigeration system such as the system

design, size, initial and operating costs, safety, etc. depend on the type
of refrigerant selected for application. Due to several environmental
issues as ozone layer depletion and global warming and their relation to
the different refrigerants used, choosing suitable refrigerant has become
one of the most important issues in recent times. Replacement
refrigerant by a new refrigerant, for any reason, is an expensive
proposition because lead to several changes in the design and
manufacturing of refrigeration systems. So, it is important to understand
the issues related to the selection and use of refrigerants.

Refrigerant know as a fluid that is used for heat transfer in a

refrigerating system which absorbs heat during evaporation from the
area of low temperature and pressure, and releases heat through
condensation at an area of higher temperature and pressure.
Properties of refrigerants:
Refrigerants can't be ideal for all application, is selected according their
properties. These properties may be divided into thermodynamic,
chemical and physical properties

 Thermodynamic Properties:

 freezing point :
Must be as low as possible or else there will be of blockage of
passages during flow of fluid that pass through evaporator.

 specific heat:
The specific heat of the liquid should be small
To make sure that irreversibilities associated with throttling are small.
The specific heat of vapor should be high to have less superheating of the
vapor.

 Critical temperature:
Temperature of the refrigerants must be high above the
condensing temperature to have a greater heat transfer at a
constant temperature.

 High latent heat

Higher latent heat of vaporization of the refrigerant will result in
lower mass flow rates according to the Heat transfer equation. If
the mass flow is very small it is difficult to control the flow rates.
Therefore ammonia cannot be used for small refrigeration systems .

 boiling point:
Should be as low as possible
 Chemical properties:

 toxicity:
The refrigerant that used in air conditioning, food preservation and
others, should not be toxic because they will be contact with
human beings

 flammable:
The refrigerant must be inert and not don't fire when subjected to
high temperatures. CO2 is suitable as it is not only non-flammable,
but also can be as a fire-extinguisher. Avoids used Ethane, butane,
isobutene due they can catch fire quickly

 Chemical Stability:
It must be chemically stable for the operating at temperature
degrees, and it should not react with the materials of the system or
materials that into contact with it.

 corrosiveness:
It must be non-corrosive to metals.

 Non-irritating & Odorless

 Physical properties:

 volume:
The volume of refrigerant must be small to have a small size of the
compressor. The type of compressor is decided by this value
.

 Conductivity:
The conductivity of the refrigerants must be high which made the
size of the evaporator and condenser is manageable.
  Viscosity:
It must be small to ensure that the pressure drop in the system is
small. A low viscosity refrigerant will need less energy for its
circulation.

 High electrical insulation.

 OTHER PROPERTIES

 Ease of leakage location

 Availability & Low cost.
 Ease of handling.  d. High C.O.P.
 Low Power consumption/TR  f. Low pressure ratio & Pressure difference
Types of refrigerants:
As per the Refrigerant manufacturers, there are four types of
refrigerants

 CFCs – Chlorofluorocarbons
These refrigerants contain chlorine, fluorine, and carbon. This type
of coolant can be used for commercial as daily purposes.
They have been prevented since the beginning of the 90's because
of their bad environmental impacts
R11, R12, R13, R113, R114, R500, R502, R503 are the top
refrigerants covered under the group of CFCs.

 HCFCs – Hydro chlorofluorocarbons

Represent HCFCs substitute of CFCs. It contains hydrogen,
chlorine, fluorine, and carbon; they affect only around 10%, which
is extremely less than the CFCs.
HCFCs are non-toxic, inexpensive, and competent. But even if they
do not harm the environment too much, they are known as
greenhouse gases! They can affect the ozone slowly
R22, R123, R124, R401A, R401B, R402A, R403B, R408A, R409A,
R414B, R416A are the refrigerants that are covered under the
HCFCs.
 HFCs – Hydro fluorocarbons:
These refrigerants do not contain particles of chlorine. Then, they
are not at all harmful to the environment and do not affect the
ozone layer. But, they have some powerful impact on global
warming as compared to natural refrigerants.
R23, R134a, R404A, R407C, R410A, R417A, R422A, R422B, R422D,
R507, R508B are included in the HFC group. These refrigerants is
always demand by refrigerant manufacturers because of its do not
affect on environment

 Natural Refrigerants
These refrigerants are completely natural. They are not created by
human they do not harm the nature, environment, or the ozone
layer. Also, they are too inexpensive as compared to other
refrigerants. Air, HC, ammonia, CO2, H2O, etc. are the examples of
natural refrigerants. They have zero affect on ozone layer and no
effects on global warming.
 Conclusion:

 Refrigerants: is working fluid used for heat transfer in a refrigerating

system
 The properties of refrigerants divided into thermodynamic,
chemical and physical properties
1. THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES :should be Low boiling point ,Low
freezing point, High critical temperature and High latent heat
2. CHEMICAL PROPERTIES: should be Non-toxicity ,Non-flammable ,Non-
corrosiveness and Non-irritating & Odorless
3. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES: Should be High conductivity, Low viscosity and
High electrical insulation
 there are four types of refrigerants
1. CFCs – Chlorofluorocarbon
2. HCFCs – Hydro chlorofluorocarbons
3. HFCs – Hydro fluorocarbons:
4. Natural Refrigerants
References:
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Volume 17, Issue 4, 1994, Pages 245-249
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