Natural Refrigerants - Forward Planning Seminar
20/04/2018
You may remember our post last month detailing a 'Forward Planning' seminar in Glasgow. The event went ahead and was well received by all of our delegates. Thank you for attending.
The following is an overview of the topic covered by ourselves - Natural Refrigerants. If you didn't manage to attend that last event, then don't worry we are sure that we will be holding a seminar of a similar nature at some point over the coming year. Keep an eye on our twitter and our news page for details.
Natural Refrigerants
Natural refrigerants consist of (but not limited to) Ammonia, CO2, Hydrocarbons and Water obviously.
At C&M Environmental we love working with Natural Refrigerants, and there are many advantages of each of the aforementioned. There are, inevitably, some disadvantages but in many situations, depending on the system which we suggest, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
Ammonia
- Low Cost per kilo
In many countries, the cost of ammonia (per kg) is considerably lower than that of HFCs. This advantage is further extended by ammonia’s lower density in the liquid phase. Additionally, any leakage of ammonia will be detected very quickly due to its odour, thereby reducing any potential loss of refrigerant.
- Thermodynamically efficient
Ammonia is one of the most efficient refrigerants, with an application range from high to low temperatures. Its efficiency is higher than that of R134a or propane.
- Future Proof
There is nothing happening to suggest that ammonia could be phased out. You can trust in the future of ammonia.
- Better heat transfer
Ammonia has better heat transfer properties than most chemical refrigerants, enabling equipment with a smaller heat transfer area to be used. Plant construction costs will be lower for the same plant layout and identical choice of materials. These properties also benefit the system’s thermodynamic efficiency, reducing operating costs.
- Zero GWP (Global Warming Potential) and ODP
Ammonia is one of the so-called “natural” refrigerants and is the most environmentally friendly refrigerant regarding GWP (Global Warming Potential) and ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential), each having a value of zero.
CO2
- Low Cost per kilo
CO2 is a by-product of many industries, so the price of CO2 is relatively low.
- Environmentally friendly
CO2 is a very attractive refrigerant with zero ODP and a GWP of 1. It is a naturally occurring substance and rich in the atmosphere.
- Many applications
Unlike most other refrigerants, CO2 is used in practice in three different refrigeration cycles:
• Subcritical (cascade systems)
• Transcritical (CO2-only systems)
• Secondary fluid (CO2 used as a volatile brine)
The technology used depends on the application and the intended location of the system. There are numerous applications where CO2 is attractive and already extensively used today:
• Industrial Refrigeration. CO2 is generally used in combination with ammonia, either in cascade systems or as a volatile brine
• Food/retail refrigeration
• Heat pumps
• Transport refrigeration
C&M Environmental believes that CO2 will continue to be one of the main refrigerants in multipack commercial refrigeration systems.
We hope this short oversight was useful and we look forward to seeing you at the next Forward Planning Seminar.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with one of our Air Conditioning or Refrigeration expert today.
