Mechanical and Production Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering

UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
MECH 4055- REFRIGERATION AND AIR CONDITIONING

Refrigerants can be classified as :

Clorofluoraocarbons (CFCs)
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
Refrigerant blends (azeotropic and zeotropic)
Inorganic

Series Refrigerant classification

000 Methane based compounds
100 Ethane based compounds
200 Propane based compounds
300 Cyclic based compounds
400 Zeotropes
500 Azeotropes
600 Organic compounds
700 Inorganic compounds
1000 Unsaturated organic compounds
Refer to ASHRAE Standard 34-1992 for more information.

Refrigerants are identified by the letter R followed by a number. Refrigerant cylinders are color coded to
permit easy identification of the refrigerants they contain.

Refrigerant Number Cylinder code Chemical

comp.
Trichlorofluoromethane R-11 Orange CFC
Dichlorodifluoromethane R-12 White
Chlorotrifluoromethane R-13 Light blue
Bromotrifluoromethane R-13B1 Coral
Trichlorotrifluoroethane R-113 Purple
Dichlorotetrafluoroethane R-114 Dark blue
Refrigerants 152a/12 R-500 Yellow Azeotropic
Refrigerants 22/115 R-502 Light purple CFC
Refrigerants 23/13 R-503 Aquamarine
Chlorodifluoromethane R-22 Light Green HCFC
Dichlorotrifluoroethane R-123 Light gray
Chlorotetrafluoroethane R-124 Deep green
R-22 + R-152a + R-124 R-401A Coral red Zeotropic
R-22 + R-125 + R-290 R-402A Pale brown HCFC
R-125 + R-143a + R-134a R-404A Orange
R-22 + R-142b + R-600a R-406A Light gray
green
R-32 + R-125 + R-134a R-407A Bright green Zeotropic HFC
R-407B Peach
R-407C Chocolate
brown
Trifluoromethane R-23 Light gray HFC
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Mechanical and Production Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering

Pentafluoroethane R-125 Medium brown

Tetrafluoroethane R-134a Light blue
Check with actual color palette

CFC Refrigerants : Composed of chlorine, fluorine, and carbon. They are low in toxicity, non-corrosive,
and compatible with other materials. They are not flammable or explosive, but sizeable quantities must not
be released where there is a flame or electric heating element. Breakdown into their elements may occur
harming human tissue. They are particularly harmful to the respiratory system. CFCs are thought to be on of
the major causes of ozone depletion. By international agreement they have not been manufactured since
1995 but still widely used. Due to laws forbidding release of CFCs to the atmosphere, new procedures and
equipment have been developed to recover, recycle, and reclaim refrigerants containing CFCs.

HCFC Refrigerants : Composed of methane or ethane in combination with a halogen. They have shorter
lives and cause less ozone depletion than the fully halogenated CFCs. Therefore, they have reduced
potential for global warming. Some of the refrigerants in this group are considered as interim refrigerants
(R- 22 and R-123) and will be used until suitable replacements are available. The EPA requires the phase-
out of HCFCs by 2030.

HFC Refrigerants : R 134a and R 23. Contain one or more hydrogen atoms and no chlorine atoms and
considered to have ODP = 0. They have only a small effect on global warming.
R 134a is typically used in new systems that are specially designed for its use. When R 134a is used in
retrofitting a system, numerous items must be considered such as system performance, hardware changes and
existing material and lubricant compatibility.

Refrigerants Blends (Azeotropic – Zeotropic) :

Azeotropic blends do not change or separate in composition when used in refrigeration systems. Zeotropic
refrigerants are also blends comprised of various refrigerants. When used in a refrigeration system, their
volumetric composition and saturation temperature do change.

Requirements for refrigerants.

Must follow the standards set by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
The refrigerants should :
be non toxic, non poisonous, non explosive, non corrosive, non flammable
make leaks easy to detect and locate
operate under low pressure
be a stable gas
permit refrigerator or compressor parts moving in the fluid to be easily lubricated.
have a high volume per kg
have as little pressure difference as possible between evaporating pressure and condensing pressure
should meet the requirements of all current EPA rules and regulations.

The standard comparison of refrigerants as used in the refrigeration industry are based on specific
evaporating (-150C) and condensing temperature (300C).

A few things to remember:

1. The temperature of the refrigerant in the evaporator is about 40C to 70C colder than the evaporator
when the compressor is running.
2. The temperature of the refrigerant in the evaporator is the same as the evaporator temperature when
the compressor is not running.
3. the temperature of the refrigerant in an air cooled- condenser is approximately 170C to 190C warmer
than the room temperature.

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Mechanical and Production Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering

4. The temperature of the refrigerant in a water cooled condenser is approximately 110C warmer than
the water temperature at the drain outlet.
5. The temperature of the refrigerant in the condenser will be about the same as that of the cooling
medium after the unit has been shut off for 15 mins to 30 mins.

Refrigerants have been classified based on their toxicity and flammability levels.
Toxicity is the ability of a refrigerant to be harmful or lethal with acute or chronic exposure:
A – Those refrigerant that have not been identified as having a toxicity level
B – Those refrigerant that have a toxicity level

Flammability is indicated by numbers:

1 – no flammability identified
2 – low flammability
3 - high flammability

Refrigerant Toxicity Flammability

R-11, R-12, R- A 1
22, R- 124, R-
125, R-134a, R-
401A, R-500, R-
502, R- 507A,
R-744
R-123 B 1
R-406A A 2
R- 717 B 2
R-503 No rating listed

The maximum allowable quantity of group A refrigerants that can be used in a any given application is
specified by the American Standard Safety Code for Mechanical Refrigeration.

Expendable refrigerant:
An expendable refrigerant cools a substance or an evaporator and is then released to the atmosphere. The
refrigerant is used only once in chemical or open cycle refrigeration systems. E.g. Liquid nitrogen R- 728
(B.pt at atm pressure -1960C), Liquid helium R- 704 (-2690C), Carbon dioxide R- 744 (-1090C).

Cryogenic fluids:
These fluids range in temperature from –1570C to –2730C e.g R-702 (Hydrogen), R-704 (Helium), R-720
(Neon), R-728 (Nitrogen), R-729 (Air), R-732 (Oxygen), R-740 (Argon)

Considerations for the selection of a refrigeration.

The system capacity governed by the refrigerant boiling point
The volume of the vapor pumped to provide necessary refrigeration
The latent heat of the refrigerant
The operating temperatures required
The size of the equipment.

Range Refrigerant Boiling Compressor

point (0C)
High R 113 48 Centrifugal
temperature R 11 24 “

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Mechanical and Production Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering

R 123 28 “
R 114 4 Centrifugal, Rotary
Medium R 12 -30 Reciprocating , Centrifugal, Rotary
Temperature R 134a -27 Reciprocating , Centrifugal, Rotary
R 500 -33 Reciprocating , Centrifugal
R 22 -41 Reciprocating , Centrifugal, Rotary
R 502 -46 Reciprocating
R 507A -47 Reciprocating
R 13B1 -58 --
Low temperature R 116 -78 --
R 13 -82 Reciprocating
R 503 -89 Reciprocating
R 14 -128 Reciprocating

Refrigeration oil.
Oil circulates through the system with the refrigerant. Oil provides lubrication and cools the
compressor’s moving parts. Because it is mixed with the refrigerant , a refrigerant oil must have certain
properties. The oil comes into direct contact with hot motor windings in hermetic units. Thus, it must be
able to withstand extreme temperatures and be harmless to refrigerants and equipment. It must remain
fluid in all parts of the system; low temperature evaporator and high temperatures in the compressors.
The fluidity of an oil refrigerant mixture is determined by several factors. These include the refrigerant
used, the temperature, properties of the oil, its solubility in refrigerant, and the solubility of refrigerant in
the oil. The properties ofa good refrigerant oil are:
Low wax content. Separation of wax from the refrigerant oil mixture may plug refrigerant
control orifices.
Good thermal stability. It should not form hard carbon deposits at hot spots in the compressor
Good chemical stability. There should be little or no chemical reaction with the refrigerant or
materials normally found in a system.
Low pour point. Ability of the oil to remain in a fluid state at the lowest temperature in the
system.
Low viscosity. The ability of the oil to maintain good oiling properties at high temperatures and
also good fluidity at low temperatures; to provide a good lubricating film at all times.

Many chemicals are added to oil to improve properties. Only oil recommended by the manufacturer’s of the
equipment should be used.

Moisture in refrigerant.
Moisture in a system may freeze at the refrigerant control. This may clog or partly clog the control. In some
cases they may cause breakdown of refrigerants and formation of harmful acids in the presence of high
compressor temperature. It may cause rusting, corrosion, or oil sludging which could result in motor burn
out in hermetic systems. Refrigerants must be stored in sealed containers and must be kept completely dry.
The presence of moisture in a refrigerant may be determined by a moisture indicator placed in the liquid line.
The maximum amount of moisture in a refrigerant will vary with the kind of refrigerant and the low side
temperature.

Ozone Depletion Potential.

The CFCs destroy the thin protective layer known as the ozone layer which protects all life forms from the
damaging effects of sun’s rays. The ozone layer is approximately 35 miles above the ground surface. A
numeric value is assigned to each refrigerant and is referred to as is ozone depletion potential. This number
expresses the risk to the ozone layer which the given refrigerant may cause. Base R11

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Mechanical and Production Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering

Global Warming Potential.

Global warming is caused by long wave radiation from the sun that becomes trapped within the earth’s
atmosphere. This trapped radiation slowly heats the earth’s surface. Each refrigerant is assigned a number
which expresses its GWP. The higher the GWP, the greater the risk of environmental damage. Base CO2.

Refrigerant CO2 R11 R12 R22 R113 R114 R115 R123 R125 R134a
ODP 0 1.0 0.93 0.05 0.83 0.71 0.38 0.02 0.0 0.0
GWP 1.0 1.3 3.7 0.57 1.9 6.40 13.8 0.28 -- 0.4

Recovery, Recycling, Reclaiming of Refrigerants.

In many countries laws have been passed concerning the disposal of CFCs. The industry has had to take
steps to comply with the laws and methods of recovering, recycling, reclaiming refrigerants have been
developed.

Recovery: To remove refrigerant in any condition from a system and store it in an external container.
Recovery equipment allows the technician to make repairs or safely dispose of equipment without harming
the atmosphere.
Recycle: to clean refrigerant for reuse by oil separation and single or multiple passes through devices such as
replaceable core filter driers. These devices reduce moisture, acidity and matter.
Reclaim: The act of reprocessing refrigerant to new product specifications by means which may include
distillation. This requires chemical analysis of the refrigeration to determine that appropriate product
specifications are met. Reclaimed refrigerant must meet a specified standard of purity.

Retrofitting:
Retrofitting is the process of preparing a system for use with a replacement refrigerant. The mineral oil
commonly used in existing refrigerant systems is not soluble in HFC 134a. The system does not return the
proper amount of oil to the compressor which can lead to a decrease in performance. Therefore a proper
ester-based HFC 134a compatible lubricant must be used.

In addition to the potential lubricant problem, other modifications may be needed such as ;
Adjustment of expansion device
Replacement of driers
Replacement of O-rings, gaskets
Replacement of other non metallic parts in the system

Retrofit procedures vary depending on several factors such as:

Type of refrigerant
Type of equipment
Type of refrigerant recovery equipment used.

Leaks detection:
Bubble solutions
Refrigerant dye and fluorescent leak detection
Halide torch leak detector e.g used for R12, R22, R11, R500, R502
Electronic leak detector – must not be used in areas containing explosive or flammable vapors. Used
for all halogenated refrigerants except R14 (CFC, HCFC, HFC and refrigerant replacement blends).

UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning MECH 4225 S. Venkannah

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Mechanical and Production Engineering Department Faculty of Engineering

MECH 4055- REFRIGERATION AND AIR CONDITIONING

Tutorial 1 - Refrigerants
B.Eng (Hons.) Mechanical Engineering -Final Year

1. Differentiate between a primary refrigerant and a secondary refrigerant.

2. List the desirable characteristics in each of the above case.
3. Refrigerants are classified according to toxicity and flammability. Compare the toxicity and
flammability of different refrigerants.
4. Why is it important to keep moisture from mixing with refrigerants for the following cases
(i) Ammonia as refrigerants
(ii) Halocarbon refrigerants

4. Explain how oil can affect the proper functioning of the refrigerating system?
5. Explain how the choice of the refrigerants affect the compressor design?
6. Explain how some refrigerants may affect the ozone layer?
7. What is meant by the ozone depletion potential (ODP)?
8. What are azeotropes and near azeotropes?
9. Study the numbering systems for refrigerants as defined by ASHRAE.
10. Explain the different methods of leak detection for refrigerants.
11. Piping is required for the transfer of refrigerant. Discuss the different types of materials that may be
used for piping for different refrigerants.
12. State two variables that will affect the compressor work input in a standard refrigeration cycle.
13. Comment briefly on the operating pressures of a compressor.
14. List the different types of compressors that are commonly used in refrigeration systems.
15. Assess the suitability of each type of compressor given above in different cases.
16. List two advantages and two disadvantages of a dual duct air conditioning system

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