Take Advantage of Upgrading Old Equipment, Replacing New Equipment


out of the machine

-Discharge the remaining vapor in the air conditioner after removing all the liquid refrigerant.


- Test the air conditioner with air while the refrigerant is still in the


- Discharge the refrigerant naturally

- Too much refrigerant is loaded into the storage tank or recovery tank.

- Charge the refrigerant into the tank only once.

- Replace refrigerant in old system without permission

Devices that limit the escape of refrigerant into the atmosphere should be periodically checked.

as well as repair work to take timely appropriate measures.

A plan to limit the release of refrigerant into the atmosphere is the main way to reduce refrigerant leakage. The complete elimination of leakage can only be achieved by completely stopping the refrigeration systems using CFC refrigerants and replacing them with refrigeration systems using other refrigerants or other types of air conditioners. Therefore, a long-term strategy of utilizing the upgrade of old equipment or replacing with new ones is the basic measure to move towards eliminating the use of CFC refrigerants.

2.5.5. Take advantage of upgrading old equipment and replacing new equipment

The objective of this measure is to eliminate the use of CFCs by upgrading or replacing old refrigeration systems with new refrigeration systems that use refrigerants that do not affect the environment. This measure needs to be analyzed based on the proposed criteria: Is it buying all new equipment that does not use CFCs or upgrading old equipment to use refrigerants that do not contain CFCs?

Refurbishing and upgrading air conditioners requires changing the refrigerant and lubricating oil mixture to another refrigerant and lubricating oil mixture. It requires replacing sealing parts (gaskets, seals, etc.) and unsuitable materials. It may also be necessary to change the lubricating oil system. However, most of the main equipment remains the same. Reusing old equipment mainly falls into the following three categories:

- Reusing old air conditioners and upgrading simply involves changing small parts, removing the refrigerant/oil mixture in use and refilling it into the refrigerant/oil mixture system.

Refrigerant/oil replacement. This is a feasible option for newer equipment. Some gaskets and other materials used in older air conditioners may not be suitable for use with a different refrigerant/oil mixture. The incompatible materials will be replaced during reconditioning. Reconditioning may also require a reduction in efficiency or capacity, which will increase operating costs.

- Optimizing the old air conditioning system can compensate for the reduction in efficiency and capacity caused by the thermodynamic parameters of the new refrigerant due to differences with the old refrigerant. The optimization method is often to change the impeller, the drive mechanism along with providing optimal operation with the new refrigerant. Reusing old equipment can be more complicated when it is necessary to change the heat exchanger to increase the capacity of the system.

- Re-use of equipment and upgrading of traction motor is the replacement of the block with the traction motor inside with a new, re-engineered block. This is one of the most expensive methods and can be used for closed type refrigeration systems due to the material of the old system not being suitable for the new refrigerant/oil mixture.

The cost of reusing CFC refrigerant equipment depends on several factors: Material compatibility, system efficiency, system leakage rate, and drive type.

The decision to reuse or replace equipment should be made on a system-by-system basis. The actual decision to reuse or replace should be made after a financial estimate of the cost of each system has been made. Reducing the amount of refrigerant released to the atmosphere may be a priority for new high-efficiency, low-leakage air conditioners if the cost is acceptable compared to the cost of upgrading older CFC air conditioners. However, when the supply of replacement CFC refrigerant equipment becomes difficult and the cost of purchasing CFC refrigerant becomes prohibitive, replacement of the air conditioner becomes inevitable.

Even if it is possible to reuse or replace an old air conditioner in use, work to control the release of refrigerant into the atmosphere should still be done on the equipment as soon as possible.

All equipment has a certain operating life, after which it will need to be replaced. When new refrigeration systems are more efficient and have lower operating costs than older systems, the savings in operating and maintenance costs due to the new system will justify the early replacement of old equipment. Developing countries will face a shortage of CFC refrigerants in the short term. Reusing existing refrigeration equipment using alternative refrigerants is an option that can continue to exploit such equipment. However, since developing countries are allowed to produce and use CFC refrigerants 10 years later than developed countries, the shortage of CFC refrigerants will not be as severe as in developed countries. Therefore, in developing countries, curbing the use of CFC refrigerants is necessary before replacing old refrigeration systems with new non-CFC refrigeration systems.

2.6. Alternative refrigerant

2.6.1. The media are suspended immediately.

Refrigerants that are immediately suspended are refrigerants with high ODPs, these substances as well as refrigeration systems using these refrigerants are banned from production. Only old refrigeration systems can continue to operate for a while under the condition that there is no refrigerant leakage. Refrigerants needed for repair and maintenance can only be used from discarded systems or systems converted to new refrigerants. These refrigerants will no longer exist on the market. The banned refrigerants are: R11, R12, R13, R113, R114, R115, R500, R502, R13B1

2.6.2. Transient refrigerants

Transitional refrigerants are those that contain little chlorine, have a small ODP and a small GWP. Transitional refrigerants are often called Retrofit or Service Refrigerant. Transitional refrigerants are used during the transition period from old refrigerants to new refrigerants. These refrigerants will be replaced in the next one to two decades. Representatives of transitional refrigerants are R22 and blends containing R22 (Blends) which are HCFCs and HCFC blends.

Table 1.1. Introduction of transitional refrigerants


ASHRAE symbols

Trademark

Manufacturer

Chemical composition or formula

Maybe you are interested!

Take Advantage of Upgrading Old Equipment, Replacing New Equipment

-

Many companies

CHCLF 2

R123

-

dupont

CHCL 2 -CF 3

R401A

MP39

dupont

R22, 152a, 124

R401B

MP66

dupont

R22, 125a, 124

R409A

FX56

Elf Atomic


R402A/B

HP80/81

dupont

R22/125/Propan

R403A/B

6i/L

Rhome Poulenc

R22/218/Propan

R408A

FX10

Elf Atomic

R22, other

R22

Transitional refrigerants are mainly used to replace banned refrigerants in older refrigeration systems.

2.6.3. Future refrigerants

The refrigerants of the future are chlorine-free, i.e. HFCs. Since they do not contain chlorine, their ODP is zero and the GWP is lower the less fluorine they contain. The refrigerants that have attracted the most attention are R134a, R404a, R407a/b/c and R507. They are considered the refrigerants of the future, replacing R12, R22 and R502. With these new refrigerants, special attention should be paid to the lubricating oil. Mineral oils are insoluble in these refrigerants. Ester oils are more suitable. When converting a refrigeration system to this new refrigerant, it should be noted that the amount of mineral oil remaining in the system should not exceed 1% of the newly charged ester oil.

Table 1.2 shows some of the future chlorine-free refrigerants and their associated refrigerant oils. In addition, R134a, R23, R227 are single components, all the others are mixtures of two or more components.

Table 1.2. Chlorine-free refrigerants and accompanying refrigeration oils

ASHRAE symbols

Trademark

Manufacturer

Ingredients or formula

chemistry

Lubricant

R134a


Many caves

CH 2 F-CF 3

POE

HP62

Reclin 404A FX 70

Du Pont Hoechst Elf

Atomic

R125,143a, 134a (44/52/4%)

POE

(R407C)

SUVA 9000

Reclin HX3 Klea 66

Du Pont Hoechst

ICI

R32, R125, R134a

POE

(R410A)

AZ20

Solvay,

Allied Signai

R125, 32

POE

(R410B)

SUVA 9100

Du Pont



R507

Reclin 507

AZ 50

Hoechst Solvay, Allied

Signal

R125, R143a (50/50%)


-

Reclin HX4

Hoechst



(R407 A/B)

Klea 60/61

ICI

A 40% 20% 40%

R125, 32, 134a

B 70% 10% 20%

POE

R600a/R290

Izobutan/Pro

pam




R23

Reclin23

Hoechst

CHF 3


R227

Reclin227

Hoechst



R404A

The mixtures can be isoboiling, near isoboiling or non-isoboiling with a sliding temperature of boiling and condensing at constant pressure. The mixtures mainly consist of R134a, R125, R32, Propane, which will produce thermodynamic parameters close to R12, R22 and R502 to replace these refrigerants in old and new refrigeration systems.

2.6.4. Natural refrigerants

In contrast to refrigerants that can only be produced by artificial synthesis, natural refrigerants exist in nature. They

do not destroy the ozone layer and have virtually no greenhouse effect. Ecologically, they are non-polluting substances.

However, due to other disadvantages such as explosion, toxicity or high pressure, their applications are limited. Representatives of this group are CO 2 (R744), NH3 (R717), Propane (R290) and butane (R600)... They are being researched to expand their applications as future refrigerants.

2.6.5. Some important substitutes

2.6.5.1. General properties

Introduction to the properties of banned refrigerants and some of the most important substitutes for them Table 1.3


Table 1.3. Important refrigerants


Medium

Replace for

Temperature range

ODP (R11=1)

GWP (CO 2 = 1)

PRC (CH 4 = 1)

Temperature slip,K

Toxicity TLV,ppm

Prohibited refrigerants

R11


C

1.0

3500

x

0

1000

R12


C,M,(F)

1.0

7100

X

0

1000

R502


(C),M,F

0.23

4300

X

0

1000

Refrigerant overload

R22

R11

C,M,F

0.05

1600

x

0

1000

R123



0.02

70

x

0

30

Non-co-boiling blends with R22 (Retrofit Blends)

R401a

R12

C,M

0.03

1025

X

6.4

800

R410b

R12

F

0.035

1120

x

6.0

840

R409a

R12

M

0.05

1340

x

8.1

x

Future refrigerant (chlorine-free)

Blends

R12(R22)

C,M(F)

0

1200

0

0

1000

R404a

R502

M,F

0

3520

0

0.7

1000

R407a

R502

M,F

0

1960

x

6.6

1000

R407b

R502

M,F

0

2680

x

4.4

1000

R407c

R22

C,M

0

1600

0

7.4

1000

R507

R502/R22

M,F

0

3600

x

0

1000

Natural refrigerant

R209

R22/R502

C,M,F

0

0

300

0

1000

R600a

R12

C,M,F

0

0

400

0

1000

R717

R22

C,M,F

0

0

x

0

50

R134a

X- Unknown; C- Conditioning mode; M - Medium cooling mode.

– Cooling); F- Freezing mode. Toxicity limit Value (TVL; Allowable toxicity limit – ppm (part per million) or AEL (Acceptale exposure Limit)

- The application temperature range for each refrigerant is different because only within that temperature range structure can the refrigerant achieve high temperature efficiency. There are refrigerants that can be used for all three modes C, M, F but there are refrigerants that are effective for only one mode, for example R11, R410b...

- Temperature drift is the temperature shift or condensation of a mixture of two or more non-iso-boiling refrigerants at constant pressure. For example, when evaporating at constant pressure, R409a has an initial boiling point of t0, and the end of the evaporation process has a boiling point of t0 + 8.1K. The vapor produced at the beginning of the evaporation process, the concentration of the more volatile substance is maximum, then gradually decreases and reaches a minimum at the end of the evaporation process. This condition is disadvantageous when the system leaks, because the loss of volatile substances is greater than that of less volatile substances. After a while, the required concentration of the mixture in the system will be deviated. This does not happen with iso-boiling mixtures such as R507 or is unlikely to happen with boiling mixtures such as R404a (temperature drift is only 0.7K)

The choice of a suitable alternative refrigerant depends on several factors. First of all, the age and condition of the refrigeration system in use, then the ability to

Clean the system from old lubricating oil is mineral oil, the ability to replace automatic devices, throttle... In fact, the following alternative refrigerants can be used:

+ R11 – No suitable replacement refrigerant has been found. Du Pont introduced R123 but it has not been widely accepted, but perhaps R123 is the only transitional refrigerant to replace R11 in turbine air conditioners.

+ R12 – Replaces R123a, R401a/b, R409a

+ R502 – Replace with 402a/b, R403b, R408a, R404a, R407a/b, R507,

R290


+ R22 – Replace with R407c, R507, R717, R290

+ R134a – R134a is the first refrigerant with ODP = 0 to be commercialized.

and has been produced for 20 years. R134a is used to replace R12 in high and medium temperature ranges, especially in car air conditioners, general air conditioners, dehumidifiers and heat pumps. At low temperatures, R134a does not have favorable properties, its energy efficiency is very low so it cannot be applied. R134a has a global warming index GWP of 90% of R12 and also has many properties similar to R12 such as

- Non-flammable

- Non-toxic, no adverse effects on living organisms

- Relatively stable chemically and thermally

- Has good properties with machine-made metals

25

- Has suitable thermodynamic and physical properties


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