1. Hydrocarbon Refrigerants
Opportunities for Industry and the Environment

2. Hydrocarbon Refrigerants: High Performance, High Efficiency Refrigerant for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

3. Overview History of hydrocarbon refrigerants Refrigerant properties
HC refrigerant applications
Mobile refrigeration and air conditioning
Fixed refrigeration and air conditioning
The future for hydrocarbon refrigerants
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

4. Brief History of Hydrocarbon Refrigerants
1866: Hydrocarbon Refrigerants Invented
1920’s onwards: HC refrigerants marketed successfully and used widely for Refrigeration (Linde)
1930s: CFC’s developed
Promoted heavily as superior to hydrocarbons, primarily because these CFC’s were non-flammable
Through successful marketing, CFC’s became the dominant refrigerant in many sectors
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

5. Brief History of Hydrocarbon Refrigerants
Later: Environmental impact of CFC’s discovered
Ozone Depletion
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
HCFC’s and HFC’s were then developed, but most are still potent Global Warming gases.
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

6. Brief History of Hydrocarbon Refrigerants
Late 1980’s: Hydrocarbons redeveloped
NOT Ozone Depleting
Virtually no global warming impact - GWP 3 (100yrs)
Not difficult to adapt most fluorocarbon systems to hydrocarbons
1992: First domestic refrigerators enter commercial production
1993: Hydrocarbon refrigerants enter the motor vehicle air conditioning market
1994: The originators of HyChill begin commercial production of HC refrigerants
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

7. Brief History of Hydrocarbon Refrigerants
Early 1990’s: Fluorocarbon industry continues to promote HCFCs and HFCs as suitable alternatives to CFC’s
Late 1990’s/early 2000: Further research sheds more light on the serious environmental damage caused by HCFCs and HFCs
2001: IPCC Reports that HFC concentrations in the atmosphere are now growing exponentially
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

8. Brief History of Hydrocarbon Refrigerants
Taiwanese production of fluorocarbons:
R-22, R-141b and R-142b
Taiwanese use of fluorocarbons:
Broad range, including above and R-134a, R-123, R- 407 series blends, R-500 series blends etc.
High-purity hydrocarbons (and associated blends) are available as alternatives to many common fluorocarbons
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

9. Key environmental properties
Refrigerant
Type
ODP
GWP (100 years)
R-290/R-600a/R-170
HC (blended or pure) 3
R-12
CFC
1.0
8500
R-22
HCFC
0.055
1700
R-123
120
R-141b
0.11
700
R-142b
0.065
2400
R-134a
HFC
1300
R-152a
R-407c
HFC blend
1653
R-408a
HCFC/HFC blend
0.026
3015
R-410a
1975
R-507a
3850
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

10. Key physical properties
Refrigerant
Molecular Mass
[g/mol]
Boiling point
[°C]
Critical Temperature
HyChill Minus 30 (HC blend)*
48.8
-31.1
111.0
HyChill Minus 50 (HC blend)*
43.3
-46.5
93.0
HyChill Minus 10 (HC R-600a)
58.12
-11.61
134.70
HyChill Minus 40 (HC R-290)
44.10
-42.09
96.70
R-12
120.91
-29.75
111.97
R-22
86.47
-40.81
96.15
R-123
152.93
27.82
183.68
R-141b
116.95
32.05
204.20
R-142b
100.50
-9.00
137.10
R-134a
102.03
-26.07
101.06
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

11. Key physical properties cntd
Refrigerant
Molecular Mass
[g/mol]
Boiling point
[°C]
Critical Temperature
HyChill Minus 30 (HC blend)*
48.8
-31.1
111.0
HyChill Minus 50 (HC blend)*
43.3
-46.5
93.0
HyChill Minus 10 (HC R-600a)
58.12
-11.61
134.70
HyChill Minus 40 (HC R-290)
44.10
-42.09
96.70
R-152a
66.05
-24.02
113.26
R-407c*
86.20
-40.3
86.05
R-408a*
87.01
-45.2
83.34
R-410a*
72.59
-51.6
70.17
R-507a*
98.86
-47.1
70.75
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

12. Refrigerant Properties
Further benefits of hydrocarbon refrigerants:
Excellent material compatibility profile
Compatible with existing seals, lubricants, wetted parts/surfaces
Excellent chemical stability
Does not break down in the presence of moisture
Excellent stability when heated
By contrast, R-134a:
Compatible with only a limited range of lubricants
Forms potentially toxic/corrosive compounds when exposed to moisture
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

13. Refrigerant Properties
Further benefits of hydrocarbon refrigerants:
High performance
Proven in theory, and
Proven in the field
Promotes longer system life, through
Higher chemical stability
Lower ‘high side’ pressures
Able to use more stable lubricants
Recovery of hydrocarbons not necessary
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

14. Refrigerant Properties SAFETY
ALL refrigerants present safety risks
Toxicity
Direct inhalation
Inhalation of byproducts
Asphyxiation
Flammability
Standard lubricants
E.g. Hydrocarbons, R-152a, compressed R-134a/air mixtures
Always remember the lubricant safety risks!
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

15. Refrigerant Properties SAFETY cntd
TOTAL SYSTEM SAFETY ASSESSMENT
Consider all factors: Toxicity, Inhalation, Flammability
Consider all fluids: Refrigerant AND lubricant
Consider all scenarios:
Under what conditions will the incident occur?
What is the probability of the incident occurring?
Consider relative and absolute risk
Assess total risk of existing systems and compare
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

16. Refrigerant Properties Flammability
(of refrigerant)
(typical refrigerant/oil
mix)
Potential chemical risksa
(Asphyxiant, toxic direct inhalation,
toxic products of heating, toxic
products of combustion)
R-12
Non-flammable
Not assessed
Non-toxic
R-134a
Flammableb
Potential risk (albeit low)c
R-152a
Flammable
R-290/R-600a
Risk appears to be lower than for R-134a or R-152ac,d
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

17. Hydrocarbon Refrigerant Applications - Mobile
Recent peer-reviewed research published in the International Journal of Refrigeration:
At the end of 2002, the number of motor vehicles using hydrocarbon refrigerant reached 5,000,000 across the USA and Australia
Over 18,000,000 car-user-years of safe use as a drop-in replacement for R-12 or R-134a
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

18. Hydrocarbon Refrigerant Applications - Mobile
Current HC use motor vehicle AC
Used as drop-in replacement to existing R-12 and R-134a systems.
NO modifications to AC system
Excellent safety record proves hydrocarbons are a safe alternative for motor vehicle AC
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

19. Hydrocarbon Refrigerant Applications - Mobile
Other mobile applications
Trucks, buses
Refrigerated transport
Off-road farming equipment
Off-road mining equipment
Excellent safety record proves hydrocarbons are a safe alternative for motor vehicle AC
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

20. Hydrocarbon Refrigerant Applications - Fixed
Domestic refrigeration – where it all began
>120 Million HC refrigerators produced to date
Significant Energy savings realised
In the range of 20% is realistic, but may be higher or lower depending on system design.
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

21. Hydrocarbon Refrigerant Applications - Fixed
Commercial refrigeration – domestic and industrial AC and refrigeration
From small domestic air conditioners…
DeLonghi: >100,000 AC systems (at end of 1998)
To small and large industrial refrigerators
Unilever to replace it’s 1.8 million cabinets over the next 10 years
To small and large industrial chillers…
Used at OEM and retrofit levels
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

22. Companies using HCs Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

23. Hydrocarbon Refrigerants: The Future
Excellent credentials
Zero ODP, Negligible GWP
99% lower GWP than R-134a
Excellent performance
Minimal system design changes required to transition from most fluorocarbons
Widespread use across the world, across all major refrigeration and air conditioning sectors
World-wide use growing rapidly
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

24. Hydrocarbon Refrigerants: The Future
Specific benefits for Taiwan
Potential for massive reduction in consumption of ozone depleting and globally warming fluorocarbon gases
Potential for significant reduction in ongoing release of fluorocarbons to the atmosphere
Potential for significant energy savings
Good for the environment
Good for the economy
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

25. Hydrocarbon Refrigerants: The Future
Proven track record
>10 years of safe and effective commercial production and use
Theoretical and real-world safety and performance data now on the public record
Excellent environmental, performance and efficiency credentials
HCs are a most worthy candidate for consideration at government, industry and private levels
Non-HCFC Refrigerants Seminar of Taiwan
Taiwan, 12 July 2004

26. Hydrocarbon Refrigerants
Opportunities for Industry and the Environment