Refrigerants Classification Types

Unit III
Refrigerants – Classification &

yp
Types
Refrigerant
• The working agent in a refrigerating system that absorbs carries or
releases heat from the place to be cooled or refrigerated can be termed
as a refrigerant.
• “Refrigerant is the fluid used for heat transfer in a refrigerating system

that absorbs heat during evaporation from the region of low
temperature and pressure, and releases heat during condensation at a
region of higher temperature and pressure.”
• Refrigerants can be broadly classified based on the following:

a) Working principle
b) Safety considerations
c) Chemical compositions
Classification of Refrigerant
Based on working principle:
• Under this category, refrigerants are classified as primary or common
refrigerants and the secondary refrigerants.
• The primary refrigerants are those that pass through the processes of
compression,
p , cooling
g or condensation,, expansion
p and evaporation
p or
warming up during cyclic processes.
Eg: Ammonia, R12, R22, carbon dioxide
• On the other hand, the medium which does not go through the cyclic
processes in a refrigeration system and is only used as a medium for
heat transfer are referred to as secondary refrigerants.
Eg: Water, brine solutions of sodium chloride and calcium chloride
Based on safety considerations:
• Under this category, refrigerants are classified as safe, toxic &
moderately flammable and highly flammable.
• Safe refrigerants: These are the non-toxic, non-flammable refrigerants

such as R11,, R12,, R13,, R14,, R21,, R22,, R113,, R114,, methyl
y chloride,,
carbon dioxide, water etc.
• Toxic & moderately flammable: Dichloroethylene methyl format, format

ethylchloride, sulphur dioxide, ammonia etc. come under this category.
• Highly flammable refrigerants: The refrigerants under this category are

butane, isobutene, propane, ethane, methane, ethylene etc.
Based on chemical composition:
• Halocarbon compounds
These are obtained by y replacing
p g one or more hydrogen
y g atoms in
ethane or methane with halogens.
• Azeotropes
These are the mixtures of two or more refrigerants and behave as a
compound.
• Oxygen and Nitrogen Compounds

Refrigerants having either oxygen or nitrogen molecules in their
structure,
t t such
h as ammonia,
i are grouped d separately
t l and
d have
h a
separate nomenclature from the halogenated refrigerants.
• Cyclic organic Compounds

The compounds coming under this class are R316, R317 and R318.
• Inorganic compounds:
These are further divided into two categories:
g Cryogenic
y g and Non-
cryogenic.
Cryogenic fluids are those which are applied for achieving
temperatures
p as low as – 160 oC to – 273 oC.
Above this temperature range, we can use a multi-stage refrigeration
system to realise the desired temperature. But below – 160 oC, this is
not p
possible since the COP of the cycle
y becomes very
y low.
To attain temperatures below – 160 oC, we use refrigerants such as
nitrogen, oxygen, helium, hydrogen etc. and for temperatures close to
– 273 oC, magnetic
g cooling
g is employed.
p y
The inorganic compounds which are employed above the cryogenic

temperature ranges come under the remaining subsub-division
division of
inorganic refrigerants.
• Unsaturated compounds:
Compounds
p such as ethylene,
y , p
propylene
py etc. are g
grouped
p under this
head and grouped under the 1000 series for convenience.
• Miscellaneous:
This group contains those compounds which cannot be grouped under
the other components. They are indicated by the 700 series with the
last numbers being their molecular weight.
weight
Examples include air, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide etc.
As it can see from

A f th above
the b sub-divisions,
b di i i th
they are nott mutually
t ll
exclusive. A compound may come under more than one sub-division.
Hence, the importance of adopting the various naming conventions to

designate the different refrigerants cannot be underestimated.
Industrially important primary refrigerants
Air:
• Air (Mol. Wt. 28.97, specific heats cp = 1.04 kJ/kg K) is one of the
earliest refrigerant to be used in the refrigeration systems.
• Its advantages are that it is available free of cost, is non-toxic and non-
flammable and does not affect the commodity if pure.
• However, air suffers from a number of drawbacks. Air contains moisture

and this reacts with the material of the evaporator and condenser
severely affecting their working capacity.
capacity
Further, there is a possibility that the passages may be blocked by the
formation of ice from this moisture.
• The COP of air is of the order of 0.6 and thus, not suitable for use in
refrigeration systems on a commercial scale.
• It is mainly used for air conditioning in aircrafts where efficiency of

operation is of secondary importance.
Ammonia:
• Ammonia (Mol. Wt. 17) is one of the oldest inorganic refrigerants and it
was commonly employed in places where toxicity effects were of
secondary importance.
• g are its low cost,, low specific

Its advantages p volume,, high
g COP ((of the
order of 4.0) and high refrigeration effect per unit mass of the
refrigerant.
• Its primary drawback is its toxicity which prevents its use in air-
conditioning and food preservation systems. Ammonia is volatile and
becomes explosive
p when mixed with air & compressed.
p
• Ammonia has a boiling point of -33 0C at atmospheric pressure.

Ammonia:
• Ammonia is commonly used in ice factories and breweries without
exception due to following reasons
a) Low running cost
b) Cheapest refrigerant
c) Leaks easy to detect
d) Easier maintenance with no evacuation
e) Possibility of fire hazard is minimum
f) Largest
L t latent
l t t heat
h t per unitit mass; smallest
ll t liquid
li id density
d it and
d low
l
viscosity
Carbon dioxide :
• Carbon dioxide (Mol. Wt. 44) is a non-toxic and non-poisonous
refrigerant. Also, it is not only non-flammable but also have an excellent
fire extinguishing capacity as well.
• Its other advantages

g are that it is chemically y stable,, immiscible with the
lubricating oil and does not affect the metal used in the system.
• It has a low specific volume and this requires less volume displacement
per ton of refrigeration.
• However, its critical pressure is too high.

However high Also,
Also its critical temperature is
only 31 0C which makes it unsuitable for use in countries with a hot
climate like India.
• It is an excellent refrigerant for low temperature refrigeration.

Sulphur dioxide :
• Sulphur dioxide (Mol. Wt. 64) is a colourless, suffocating and irritating
gas and is twice as heavy as air at atmospheric conditions.
• It was mostly used as a household refrigerant in the older days, but has
since been discarded for better refrigerants.
g
• It suffers from a lot of disadvantages. Sulphur dioxide reacts with water

forming sulphurous acid,acid which in presence of oxygen becomes
sulphuric acid, a corrosive compound for metals.
• It is non-flammable
non flammable but attacks foodstuff on coming in contact with it.
it
• It is not miscible with oil. SO2 is heavier than oil, therefore, oil floats on
th top
the t surface
f off the
th liquid
li id SO2 which
hi h simplifies
i lifi th problem
the bl off oilil
removal and return.
Hydrocarbons:
• This group consists of colourless fluids normally in gaseous state and
made up of various combinations of carbon and hydrogen.
• Most of the refrigerants from this category are suitable for low
temperature
p refrigeration.
g Isobutane falls in this category
g y and has been
suitable for domestic refrigeration.
• They are non

non-poisonous
poisonous, but are flammable and highly explosive when
exposed to air.
• The molecular weight and boiling point of each gas varies according to
the number of hydrogen and carbon atoms.
• The larger
Th l th number
the b off hydrogen
h d and
d carbon
b atoms,
t th heavier
the h i isi
the gas and higher is its boiling point.
Hydrocarbons:
Isobutane:
• Isobutane is a ppopular
p refrigerant
g of hydrocarbon
y family
yggiven under the
trade name ‘freezol’.
• It has low boiling point and high vapour density at atmospheric

pressure as compared with butane.
• Compression ratio is also low compared with butane for the required
temperature range.
• It is
i flammable
fl bl in
i presence off air
i and
d highly
hi hl miscible
i ibl with
ith oil.
il It ahs
h
slight sweetish odour.
• It does not affect metals but does affect rubber.

Halocarbons:
• The halocarbon refrigerants are formed by replacing one or more of
hydrogen atoms of methane or ethane by one or more atoms of the
three halogens: fluorine,
fluorine chlorine or bromine.
bromine
• Some of the refrigerants coming under this category are mentioned

below:
Refrigerant R12
1. The refrigerant R12 is the most widely used refrigerant in the
domestic and large commercial establishments.
establishments
2. Its chemical formula is CCl2F2 and its boiling point is -30 oC at 1
bar.
3. It is a non-flammable,, non-explosive,
p , non-irritating,
g, non-toxic and
odourless refrigerant. It remains chemically stable up to 550 oC.
4. Also, it does not affect the material of the refrigeration system. It is
available in abundance and is quite cheap.
5. However, its use is being discontinued nowadays for its
contribution to ozone depletion which will be discussed later.
Halocarbons:
Refrigerant R13
1. Its chemical formula is CClF3.
2. It is a non-flammable, non-toxic and stable refrigerant.
3. It is very suitable for achieving low temperatures in a cascade
refrigeration system.
system
4. Its specific volume is high and therefore, it is suitable for centrifugal
compressors. However, it also has a negative effect on ozone
depletion.
depletion
Refrigerant R22
1 Its
1. It chemical
h i l formula
f l is
i CHClF2.
CHClF2
2. It is also a non-toxic, non-flammable, non-corrosive and non-
irritating refrigerant.
3. It is the most common refrigerant for use in large refrigeration
systems and is preferred to R12.
Halocarbons:
Refrigerant
g R114
1. Its chemical formula is C2Cl2F. Its boiling point corresponding to 1
bar is about 3 oC.
2 It has properties very similar to those of R12 with respect to water
2.
and oil combination.
3. It is not suitable for low temperature refrigeration since it has
negative evaporator pressure even at around 9 0 C.C
4. It is non-toxic, non-explosive and non-corrosive even in the
presence of water.

Refrigerants Classification Types

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Refrigerants Classification Types

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Refrigerants Classification Types

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Unit III

Refrigerants – Classification &

• “Refrigerant is the fluid used for heat transfer in a refrigerating system

• Refrigerants can be broadly classified based on the following:

• Safe refrigerants: These are the non-toxic, non-flammable refrigerants

• Toxic & moderately flammable: Dichloroethylene methyl format, format

• Highly flammable refrigerants: The refrigerants under this category are

• Oxygen and Nitrogen Compounds

• Cyclic organic Compounds

The inorganic compounds which are employed above the cryogenic

As it can see from

Hence, the importance of adopting the various naming conventions to

• However, air suffers from a number of drawbacks. Air contains moisture

• It is mainly used for air conditioning in aircrafts where efficiency of

• g are its low cost,, low specific

• Ammonia has a boiling point of -33 0C at atmospheric pressure.

• Its other advantages

• However, its critical pressure is too high.

• It is an excellent refrigerant for low temperature refrigeration.

• It suffers from a lot of disadvantages. Sulphur dioxide reacts with water

• They are non

• It has low boiling point and high vapour density at atmospheric

• It does not affect metals but does affect rubber.

• Some of the refrigerants coming under this category are mentioned

You might also like