Refrigerant Purity and Testing
Refrigerant purity refers to the degree to which the refrigerant does not contain any impurities or contaminants. Refrigerant is the blood of refrigeration equipment. The purity of refrigerant is particularly important for refrigeration equipment. Most obviously, when refrigerant with high purity is injected, the cooling effect is obvious; the temperature drops quickly, and the cooling capacity is large. Refrigerant with low purity will not only fail to reach the desired drop temperature but will also damage the compressor, which is not worth the loss.
So, what are the specific impacts of refrigerant purity?
1. Effects of low refrigerant purity
1) The refrigerant contains high moisture and acidity, which will seriously corrode the internal piping system of the air conditioner compressor, causing ice blockage in the air conditioner and seizure of the air conditioner compressor, greatly shortening the service life of the air conditioner compressor.
2) It is easy to cause leakage. There is no fluorine in the air conditioning system. The compressor is always idling, the operating temperature is high, and the parts wear out, which will also shorten the service life of the air conditioning compressor.
3) Increase the operating load of the air conditioning compressor, thereby increasing fuel consumption and increasing expenses.
4) The inferior refrigerants on the market are even mixed with a lot of flammable and explosive gases, which seriously affects the safety of consumers’ lives and property.
5) The cooling effect is poor, and problems occur frequently. Although adding low-quality refrigerant will temporarily feel cool, the coolness is not enough, and many of them cannot reach 3 degrees Celsius.
6) Contains chlorine atoms. Once leaked, it will cause huge damage to the ozone layer and threaten the human living environment. It does not conform to the general trend of green environmental protection in today’s society.
2. Advantages of high-purity refrigerants
High-purity refrigerants require strict control over the content of impurities in the refrigerant, and the production process is more complex and sophisticated. Special treatments are also required during production, storage, and transportation to ensure that the molecular structure and chemical properties are stable.
1) High refrigerant purity
The impurity content of high refrigerant purity is extremely low, reaching more than 99.99%; high-purity refrigerants can effectively improve refrigeration efficiency, reduce damage to the environment, and extend the service life of equipment.
2) Environmental protection
The formula of high refrigerant purity is specially designed and does not contain harmful substances such as chlorofluorocarbons. It will not cause damage to the atmosphere and can effectively reduce the impact on the environment.
3) High safety
High-purity refrigerants require special handling during production, storage, and transportation. The molecular structure is stable and does not cause fire, explosion, or other dangers.
3. Refrigerant purity testing
A professional testing agency can test the purity of the refrigerant, and the data is accurate and authoritative. Here are four relatively simple refrigerant detection methods:
1) Evaporation residue identification method
Take a piece of clean white paper and sprinkle a small amount of refrigerant on the white paper. After the refrigerant evaporates, observe the traces of refrigerant remaining on the white paper. If there are no traces on the white paper, it means that the purity of the refrigerant meets the requirements. Requirements: if there are traces on the white paper, it means that the refrigerant being tested is impure and cannot be used.
2) pH determination method
The pH of the standard refrigerant is neutral. When the refrigerant boils, the pH test paper can be used to test it. If the refrigerant is acidic or alkaline, it means that the refrigerant being tested is impure and cannot be used.
3) Thermometry
Different refrigerants have different boiling points. The boiling point of R12 is -29.8°C, the boiling point of R22 is -40.8°C and the boiling point of R134a is -26.5°C. During the test, spray the refrigerant on the thermometer. If the actual boiling point temperature is different from the nominal value, it means that the refrigerant being tested is impure and cannot be used.
4) Pressure measurement method
At the same temperature, different refrigerants have different pressures. For example, at +30°C, the pressure of R12 is 0.64MPa, while the pressure of R22 is 1.09MPa. During the test, 2.5MPa pressure gauges can be connected to different types of refrigerant cylinders, and the type of refrigerant can be determined based on the pressure reading on the gauge.
In short, compared with ordinary refrigerants, high-purity refrigerants have higher purity, better environmental protection and safety, and can also improve refrigeration efficiency and the service life of equipment. Although the price of high-purity refrigerants is relatively high, in the future market, with the continuous updating of technology, the price will gradually decrease.
