What type of refrigerant is used in air conditioning systems? There are many different types of refrigerant used in a variety of refrigeration products, but for air conditioning systems, there are two main types; R-22 or more commonly known as Freon, and R410A, also known as Puron.
The reason why air is not more widely used as a general-purpose refrigerant is because there is no change of phase, and is therefore too inefficient to be practical in most applications.
Air cycle refrigeration systems use air as their refrigerant, compressing it and expanding it to create heating and cooling capacity. Air cycle is not a new technology. Air cycle or 'cold air machines' were available from companies such as J & E Hall (see picture) in the early 1900s.
Refrigeration is a process where refrigerant, a compound typically found in either a fluid or gaseous state, is moved from four different parts in order to be turned into cool air.
R-454B is one of a group of recently developed refrigerants formulated to help reduce the environmental impact of HVAC systems and the HVAC industry as a whole. The measure of the impact a refrigerant has on the environment is called its Global Warming Potential (GWP).
Comprehensive Environmental Impact Metrics
This means systems using R32 typically consume less energy over their lifetime, resulting in fewer indirect emissions. R454B, while also efficient, may require a larger charge size to achieve similar cooling performance, which can increase its overall environmental footprint.
Inhalation Vapor is heavier than air and can cause suffocation by reducing oxygen available for breathing. Inhalation of high vapor concentration may cause dizziness, disorientation, incoordination, narcosis, nausea or vomiting, leading to unconsciousness, cardiac irregularities, or death.
'Freon' is the brand name for the refrigerants R-12, R-13B1, R-22, R-410A, R-502, and R-503 manufactured by The Chemours Company, and so is not used to label all refrigerants of this type. They emit a strong smell similar to acetone. Freon has been found to cause damage to human health when inhaled in large amounts.
Hydrocarbons (HCS)
This refrigerant is filled with chemicals that are used in commercial refrigeration systems, air conditioning systems, and domestic refrigeration systems. This refrigerant is apt for industrial cooling as it has propane with zero ODP (Ozone depletion potential).
When air enters a refrigeration system, it collects in the top of the condenser and is trapped. Air is a noncondensable and thus, it cannot be condensed like refrigerant vapors. The liquid seal — subcooled liquid at the condenser bottom — will prevent air from leaving the condenser.
R-22 (Chlorodifluoromethane), also known as R22 Freon or HCFC-22 Freon, was a common refrigerant for HVAC systems. It is now a banned refrigerant that is illegal to import or manufacture.
R600a has a short atmospheric lifetime of less than one year, in comparison the 16 year lifecycle of traditional R134a refrigerants. The major concern regarding the use of HC refrigerants such as R600a is the flammability of the gas.
No, the compressor will fail. These two refrigerants have very different properties. One of R22 and R134a is high pressure and the other is low pressure. They don't mix chemically and don't have the same boiling point, leading to inefficiencies and eventual compressor failure.
In 2010, the U.S. stopped the sale of newly manufactured residential air conditioning units and heat pumps that use R-22 because of its particularly harmful impact on the ozone layer when released into the air.
R-32 is the most balanced refrigerant in terms of environmental impact, energy efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Refrigerant is a medium for conveying heat. Air conditioners transfer heat while circulating refrigerant between the indoor and outdoor units.
Oxygen also has a very low boiling point of -183°C, which means it would require extremely low temperatures and high pressures to operate as a refrigerant. To pressurize a system for leak-testing, inert gases like nitrogen are commonly employed.
Refrigerators from the late 1800s until 1929 used the toxic gases, ammonia (NH3), methyl chloride (CH3Cl), and sulfur dioxide (SO2), as refrigerants. Several fatal accidents occurred in the 1920s because of methyl chloride leakage from refrigerators. People started leaving their refrigerators in their backyards.
As Freon was phased out, new HVAC systems began using a refrigerant known as Puron® or R-410A, an HFC. More efficient and less harmful to the environment, R-410A has been in use since its introduction in 1996 and is found in most of today's modern HVAC systems.
In 2010, manufacturers were no longer able to produce new equipment designed with R22 and at the end of 2020, production and import of R22 will be eliminated. Meaning the phase out of R22 has been planned for almost 30 years.
Freon is a brand name of air conditioning refrigerant trademarked by DuPont. So you definitely have refrigerant in your air conditioner, but you may or may not have the brand Freon. However, Freon has become synonymous with the word “refrigerant” similar to how the brand name “Kleenex” is synonymous with “tissues”.
Changes to the Dangerous Goods Legislation, effective in 2021, has new categories for A2L refrigerants. R32 is a synthetic greenhouse gas. If released to the atmosphere it can contribute to climate change. R32 is a flammable refrigerant.
No. R-454B is NOT a drop-in replacement for R-410A. Although many of the characteristics of R-454B are similar to R-410A, the use of R-454B is restricted by code and regulation to systems for which it was specifically designed.
R-22a is a hydrocarbon refrigerant blend with primary components including flammable substances such as propane and butane. In some cases, it may also contain small amounts of other hydrocarbons or a pine-scented odorant. This refrigerant is a highly flammable, colorless gas that is heavier than air.