Hydrocarbon Refrigerant Advantages and Disadvantages
Hydrocarbon refrigerants (HC Refrigerant) belong to the alkane class, which is actually one of the most common refrigerants. Ammonia, Freon, and hydrocarbons are widely used in compression refrigerants.
According to the chemical composition, refrigerants can be divided into five categories: inorganic compound refrigerants, Freon, saturated hydrocarbon refrigerants, unsaturated hydrocarbon refrigerants, and azeotropic mixture refrigerants.
1. Hydrocarbon refrigerant Classification
Saturated hydrocarbon refrigerants
This type of refrigerant mainly includes methane, ethane, propane, butane, and cyclic organic compounds.
Unsaturated hydrocarbon refrigerants
This type of refrigerant mainly includes ethylene (C2H4), propylene (C3H6), and their halogen element derivatives. The number after their R is mostly “1”, such as R113, R1150… etc.
2. Common hydrocarbon refrigerants
1. R290 (propane): Propane is a natural refrigerant that is non-toxic, odorless, and harmless. It does not contribute to ozone layer depletion and global warming and has become a representative of environmentally friendly refrigerants.
2. R600a (isobutane): Isobutane is also a natural refrigerant with good environmental performance, but it is flammable and needs to be used safely.
3. R290a (butane): Butane has excellent refrigeration performance, but it is flammable and explosive, and special safety measures need to be taken.
4. R290c (n-butane): n-butane is an environmentally friendly refrigerant with good environmental performance, but it is flammable and explosive.
5. R1270 (propylene): Propylene is an environmentally friendly refrigerant with zero ozone depletion potential and extremely low greenhouse effect. R1270 (propylene) is mainly used to replace R22, R502, R143a, and other refrigerants in low-temperature refrigeration equipment (used in low-temperature refrigeration equipment with less liquid filling).
R1270 is also an important component of low-temperature refrigerant, which is compatible with the original system and lubricating oil.
6. Others: R170, HCR433B, R1150, etc.
3. Advantages
1. Energy saving: Air-conditioning systems using HC refrigerants can save about 15% to 35% of energy consumption compared to air-conditioning systems using traditional refrigerants such as R134 and R22. The low freezing point and greater latent heat of evaporation make the cooling rate faster per unit time; the isentropic compression ratio is small, making the compressor work easier and extending the service life of the compressor; the small molecular weight, good fluidity, and lower delivery pressure reduce the load of the compressor. It can extend the service life of the compressor, reduce power consumption, and save the operating cost of the system;
2. Environmental protection: Hydrocarbon refrigerants do not pollute the atmosphere, do not damage the ozone layer, and have almost zero greenhouse effect;
3. Economical: The amount of hydrocarbon refrigerant used is less, more economical, and has a large market space and high-profit margins;
4. Good refrigeration performance: Shorten the refrigeration time of the air-conditioning compressor, and the refrigeration effect is much better than R134 and R22. HCR443b and HCR436a hydrocarbon refrigerants have extremely large refrigeration capacity per unit volume and unit mass, high heat exchange performance of the condenser and evaporator, shorten the refrigeration time of the air-conditioning compressor, and can save 20% of energy consumption under the same refrigeration effect;
5. High oil mixing rate: The oil mixing rate of hydrocarbon refrigerants is extremely high, compatible with all commonly used refrigeration lubricants (mineral lubricants, synthetic lubricants), non-toxic, and non-corrosive to metals and oil-resistant rubber. Many refrigerants require specially matched refrigerant lubricants. If used improperly, problems will occur. The use of hydrocarbon refrigerants can prevent problems caused by incompatibility between refrigerants and refrigerant lubricants;
6. Easy to fill: The air-conditioning system and filling procedures do not need to be changed; follow the original filling procedures;
7. Wide range of uses: Mainly used in refrigeration systems such as household air conditioners, central air conditioners, refrigerated trucks, air source water heaters, cold storage, freezers, refrigerators, etc;
8. Strong adaptability: It has unique adaptability to hot climates, good fluidity, and is more suitable for long pipeline refrigeration systems. Most refrigerants are composed of chlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, or hydrochlorofluorocarbon mixtures. These refrigerants have been proven to be unsuitable for use in hot or tropical areas.
4. Disadvantages
1. Not completely natural: Although hydrocarbon refrigerants are advertised as being derived from nature, their main components, propane, and butane, are actually petrochemical products, so they are only partially natural. Alkane organic matter has a certain contribution to the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect of methane is even dozens of times that of carbon dioxide, so the possibility of the refrigerant having a greenhouse effect cannot be ruled out.
2. Explosion hazard: Some hydrocarbon refrigerants are flammable and explosive, and special safety measures are required.
3. Odor: Some hydrocarbon refrigerants have a pungent odor, which is harmful to the human body, and attention should be paid to ventilation.
4. Environmental factors: Hydrocarbon refrigerants are flammable and explosive under high temperatures, high humidity, and high concentration conditions, so special attention should be paid to environmental factors.
5. Popularity of Hydrocarbon refrigerants
All European automobile manufacturers and refrigerator manufacturers have widely adopted hydrocarbon refrigerants. 95% of refrigerators, cold storage, and freezers in Germany have adopted hydrocarbon refrigerants. In some supermarket chains in the UK, 80% of freezers have adopted hydrocarbon refrigeration. Hydrocarbon refrigerants have become an important refrigerant technology in the world; in Thailand, Singapore, India, Malaysia, and other countries in Europe and Asia, hydrocarbon refrigerants have been widely used in automobiles, central air conditioners, and large refrigeration equipment. Hydrocarbon refrigerants have obvious environmental advantages and outstanding energy-saving effects.
Of course, since the relevant policies of each country are different, the choice of refrigerants must be based on the laws and regulations that comply with them.
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