2.9.

6 Propane (R-290)
Propane has been used as a working medium in large refrigeration plants for many years, notably

in the petrochemical processing industry. It has excellent thermodynamic properties approaching

those of ammonia, but the explosion and fire hazard are much more severe. This will certainly

limit its application in the normal refrigeration field, although the risk should not be overestimated.

Combustible gases are commonplace in many technical applications and do not cause many

problems when simple precautions are observed. Propane has a special advantage for use in turbo

compressors because of its near ideal molar mass.

Another area where propane or mixtures of HCs may have a future is as a substitute for R-12 in

household refrigerators and freezers, and also perhaps in small air-conditioning units. The charge

in a normal refrigerator need not be more than about 50 g, propane being a much lighter fluid than

R-12, and this is less than what may be used as the drive gas in a hair spray. Recent extensive

studies have testified that the risk involved is negligible (Lorentzen, 1993).

The few hundred grams needed in a small air conditioner would also seem to be perfectly

acceptable with proper design. A propane–butane mixture may be advantageous in order to achieve

a temperature glide to match the limited air volume flow of the evaporator and condenser.

In a study undertaken by James and Missenden (1992), the implications of using propane in

domestic refrigerators were examined in relation to energy consumption, compressor lubrication,

costs, availability, environmental factors, and safety, and compared with the results obtained for

R-12, R-22, and R-134a. From the experiments they found that propane can substitute for R-12 with

a similar performance at a lower charge and concluded that propane is an attractive and environmentally

friendly alternative to ODSs. Although propane is very stable and meets the refrigeration

requirements (e.g., COP, pressure ratio, comparative discharge, etc.) easily, the only concern is its

reactive characteristics such as combustion and halogenation.

2.9.7