Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Refrigerant shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Refrigerant offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Refrigerant at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Refrigerant? Wrong! If the Refrigerant is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Refrigerant then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Refrigerant? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Refrigerant and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Refrigerant wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Refrigerant then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Refrigerant site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Refrigerant, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Refrigerant, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

A refrigerant is a compound used in a heat engine that undergoes a phase change from a gas to a liquid and back. The two main uses of refrigerants are refrigerators/freezers and air conditioners. Cf. coolant.

Until concerns about depletion of the ozone layer arose in the 1980s, the most widely used refrigerants were the halomethanes Dichlorodifluoromethane and R-22, with R-12 being more common in automotive air conditioning and small refrigerators, and R-22 being used for residential and light commercial air conditioning, refrigerators, and freezers. Some very early systems used R-11 because its relatively high boiling point allows low-pressure systems to be constructed, reducing the mechanical strength required for components. New production of R-12 ceased in the United States in 1995, and R-22 is to be phased out in 2010. R-134a and certain blends are now replacing chlorinated compounds. One popular 50/50 blend of R-32 and R-125 now being increasingly substituted for R-22 is R410a, often marketed under the trade name Puron®. While the R-22, R-12 and other ozone depleting refrigerants are being phased out, they still have value and can be easily sold.

The ideal refrigerant has good thermodynamics properties, is noncorrosive, and safe. The desired thermodynamic properties are a boiling point somewhat below the target temperature, a high heat of vaporization, a moderate density in liquid form, and a relatively high density in gaseous form. Since boiling point and gas density are affected by pressure, refrigerants may be made more suitable for a particular application by choice of operating pressure.

Corrosion properties are a matter of materials compatibility with the components used for the Gas compressor, piping, evaporator, and condenser. Safety considerations include toxicity and flammable.

Early mechanical refrigeration systems employed sulfur dioxide gas or Ammonia#Uses, with small home refrigerators primarily using the former. Being toxic, sulfur dioxide rapidly disappeared from the market with the introduction of Freon. Ammonia is still used in some large commercial plants, well away from residential areas, where a leak will not cause widespread injuries.

Use of highly purified liquified petroleum gas#LPG as refrigerant as a refrigerant is gaining favor, especially in systems designed for R-12, R-22 or R-134a. As such, it is designated as R-290 and is marketed under the trade name Duracool®. Although propane is flammable, in home and automotive systems it is present in quantities small enough to not pose an undue fire hazard if a system should develop a leak. Moreover, propane is nontoxic. An odorant, such as ethanethiol, can be added in trace amounts to alert persons of system leaks.

Emissions from automotive air-conditioning are a growing concern because of their impact on climate change. From 2011 on, the European Union will phase out refrigerants with a global warming potential (GWP) of more than 150 in automotive air conditioning (GWP = 100 year warming potential of one kilogram of a gas relative to one kilogram of CO2). This will ban potent greenhouse gases such as the refrigerant HFC-134a—which has a GWP of 1410—to promote safe and energy-efficient refrigerants. One of the most promising alternatives is the natural refrigerant CO2 (R-744). Carbon dioxide is non-flammable, non-ozone depleting, has a global warming potential of 1, but is toxic and potentially lethal in concentrations above 5% by volume. R-744 can be used as a working fluid in climate control systems for cars, residential air conditioning, hot water pumps, commercial refrigeration, and vending machines.http://r744.com/knowledge/faq_a.php CO2 as a refrigerant in different applications

Recycling refrigerants CFC's or chlorofluorocarbons are used as refrigerants in some commercial air conditioning and refrigeration systems. CFC's are considered to be 100% ozone depleting and are very dangerous to the environment. In most residential air conditioners and many refrigeration systems it is R-22 or Freon which is a hydrochlorofluorocarbon or HCFC. HCFC's are considered to be 5% ozone depleting and are also a danger to the Earth's vital ozone layer.

As of July 1, 1992 it is illegal to release Freon or other refrigerants into the atmosphere because they can cause severe damage to the ozone layer. When CFCs are removed they should be recycled to clean out any contaminants and return it to a usable condition. Refrigerants should never be mixed together. Some CFCs must be managed as hazardous waste, even if recycled and special precautions are required for their transport.

Refrigerants by class Refrigerants may be divided into three classes according to their manner of absorption or extraction of heat from the substances to be refrigerated:

Class 1: This class includes refrigerants that cool by the absorption or extraction of latent heat from the substances to be refrigerated.

Class 2: These refrigerants cool substances by absorbing their sensible heats. They are air, calcium chloride brine, sodium chloride brine, alcohol, and similar nonfreezing solutions. The purpose of Class 2 refrigerants is to receive a reduction of temperature from Class 1 refrigerants and convey this lower temperature to the area to be air-conditioned.

Class 3: This group consists of solutions that contain absorbed vapors of liquefiable agents or refrigerating media. These solutions function by nature of their ability to carry liquefiable vapors, which produce a cooling effect by the absorption of their latent heat.

Numbering The R-# numbering system was developed by DuPont and systematically identifies the molecular structure of refrigerants made with a single halogenated hydrocarbon. The meaning of the codes is as follows:

• Rightmost digit: Number of fluorine atoms per molecule.
• Tens digit: One plus the number of hydrogen atoms per molecule.
• Hundreds digit: The number of carbon atoms minus one. Omitted for methyl halides, which have only one carbon atom.
• Thousands digit" Number of double bonds in the molecule. This is omitted when zero, and in practice is rarely used, since most candidate compounds are unstable.
• A suffix with a capital B and a number indicates the number of bromine atoms, when present. This is rarely used.
• Remaining bonds not accounted for are occupied by chlorine atoms.
• A suffix of a lower-case letter a, b, or c indicates increasingly unbalanced isomers.
• As a special case, the R-400 series is made up of zeotropic blends (those where the boiling point of constituent compounds differs enough to lead to changes in relative concentration because of fractional distillation) and the R-500 series is made up of so-called azeotrope. The rightmost digit is assigned arbitrarily by ASHRAE, an industry organization.

For example, 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane has 4 fluorine atoms, 2 hydrogen atoms, 2 carbon atoms, with an empirical formula of tetrafluoroethane. The "a" suffix indicates that the isomer is unbalanced by one atom, giving 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane. R-134 without the "a" suffix would have a molecular structure of 1,1,2,2-Tetrafluoroethane—a compound not especially effective as a refrigerant.

The same numbers are used with an R- prefix for generic refrigerants, with a "Propellant" prefix (e.g., "Propellant 12") for the same chemical used as a propellant for an aerosol spray, and with trade names for the compounds, such as "Freon 12". Recently, a practice of using HFC- for hydrofluorocarbons, CFC- for chlorofluorocarbons, and HCFC- for hydrochlorofluorocarbons has arisen, because of the regulatory differences among these groups.

See also

• List of refrigerants

References External links

• Refripro, European Portal for Refrigeration and A/C: refrigerant list, legislation, suppliers etc.
• US Environmental Protection Agency page on the GWPs of various substances

A refrigerant is a compound used in a heat engine that undergoes a phase change from a gas to a liquid and back. The two main uses of refrigerants are refrigerators/freezers and air conditioners. Cf. coolant.

Until concerns about depletion of the ozone layer arose in the 1980s, the most widely used refrigerants were the halomethanes Dichlorodifluoromethane and R-22, with R-12 being more common in automotive air conditioning and small refrigerators, and R-22 being used for residential and light commercial air conditioning, refrigerators, and freezers. Some very early systems used R-11 because its relatively high boiling point allows low-pressure systems to be constructed, reducing the mechanical strength required for components. New production of R-12 ceased in the United States in 1995, and R-22 is to be phased out in 2010. R-134a and certain blends are now replacing chlorinated compounds. One popular 50/50 blend of R-32 and R-125 now being increasingly substituted for R-22 is R410a, often marketed under the trade name Puron®. While the R-22, R-12 and other ozone depleting refrigerants are being phased out, they still have value and can be easily sold.

The ideal refrigerant has good thermodynamics properties, is noncorrosive, and safe. The desired thermodynamic properties are a boiling point somewhat below the target temperature, a high heat of vaporization, a moderate density in liquid form, and a relatively high density in gaseous form. Since boiling point and gas density are affected by pressure, refrigerants may be made more suitable for a particular application by choice of operating pressure.

Corrosion properties are a matter of materials compatibility with the components used for the Gas compressor, piping, evaporator, and condenser. Safety considerations include toxicity and flammable.

Early mechanical refrigeration systems employed sulfur dioxide gas or Ammonia#Uses, with small home refrigerators primarily using the former. Being toxic, sulfur dioxide rapidly disappeared from the market with the introduction of Freon. Ammonia is still used in some large commercial plants, well away from residential areas, where a leak will not cause widespread injuries.

Use of highly purified liquified petroleum gas#LPG as refrigerant as a refrigerant is gaining favor, especially in systems designed for R-12, R-22 or R-134a. As such, it is designated as R-290 and is marketed under the trade name Duracool®. Although propane is flammable, in home and automotive systems it is present in quantities small enough to not pose an undue fire hazard if a system should develop a leak. Moreover, propane is nontoxic. An odorant, such as ethanethiol, can be added in trace amounts to alert persons of system leaks.

Emissions from automotive air-conditioning are a growing concern because of their impact on climate change. From 2011 on, the European Union will phase out refrigerants with a global warming potential (GWP) of more than 150 in automotive air conditioning (GWP = 100 year warming potential of one kilogram of a gas relative to one kilogram of CO2). This will ban potent greenhouse gases such as the refrigerant HFC-134a—which has a GWP of 1410—to promote safe and energy-efficient refrigerants. One of the most promising alternatives is the natural refrigerant CO2 (R-744). Carbon dioxide is non-flammable, non-ozone depleting, has a global warming potential of 1, but is toxic and potentially lethal in concentrations above 5% by volume. R-744 can be used as a working fluid in climate control systems for cars, residential air conditioning, hot water pumps, commercial refrigeration, and vending machines.http://r744.com/knowledge/faq_a.php CO2 as a refrigerant in different applications

Recycling refrigerants CFC's or chlorofluorocarbons are used as refrigerants in some commercial air conditioning and refrigeration systems. CFC's are considered to be 100% ozone depleting and are very dangerous to the environment. In most residential air conditioners and many refrigeration systems it is R-22 or Freon which is a hydrochlorofluorocarbon or HCFC. HCFC's are considered to be 5% ozone depleting and are also a danger to the Earth's vital ozone layer.

As of July 1, 1992 it is illegal to release Freon or other refrigerants into the atmosphere because they can cause severe damage to the ozone layer. When CFCs are removed they should be recycled to clean out any contaminants and return it to a usable condition. Refrigerants should never be mixed together. Some CFCs must be managed as hazardous waste, even if recycled and special precautions are required for their transport.

Refrigerants by class Refrigerants may be divided into three classes according to their manner of absorption or extraction of heat from the substances to be refrigerated:

Class 1: This class includes refrigerants that cool by the absorption or extraction of latent heat from the substances to be refrigerated.

Class 2: These refrigerants cool substances by absorbing their sensible heats. They are air, calcium chloride brine, sodium chloride brine, alcohol, and similar nonfreezing solutions. The purpose of Class 2 refrigerants is to receive a reduction of temperature from Class 1 refrigerants and convey this lower temperature to the area to be air-conditioned.

Class 3: This group consists of solutions that contain absorbed vapors of liquefiable agents or refrigerating media. These solutions function by nature of their ability to carry liquefiable vapors, which produce a cooling effect by the absorption of their latent heat.

Numbering The R-# numbering system was developed by DuPont and systematically identifies the molecular structure of refrigerants made with a single halogenated hydrocarbon. The meaning of the codes is as follows:

• Rightmost digit: Number of fluorine atoms per molecule.
• Tens digit: One plus the number of hydrogen atoms per molecule.
• Hundreds digit: The number of carbon atoms minus one. Omitted for methyl halides, which have only one carbon atom.
• Thousands digit" Number of double bonds in the molecule. This is omitted when zero, and in practice is rarely used, since most candidate compounds are unstable.
• A suffix with a capital B and a number indicates the number of bromine atoms, when present. This is rarely used.
• Remaining bonds not accounted for are occupied by chlorine atoms.
• A suffix of a lower-case letter a, b, or c indicates increasingly unbalanced isomers.
• As a special case, the R-400 series is made up of zeotropic blends (those where the boiling point of constituent compounds differs enough to lead to changes in relative concentration because of fractional distillation) and the R-500 series is made up of so-called azeotrope. The rightmost digit is assigned arbitrarily by ASHRAE, an industry organization.

For example, 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane has 4 fluorine atoms, 2 hydrogen atoms, 2 carbon atoms, with an empirical formula of tetrafluoroethane. The "a" suffix indicates that the isomer is unbalanced by one atom, giving 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane. R-134 without the "a" suffix would have a molecular structure of 1,1,2,2-Tetrafluoroethane—a compound not especially effective as a refrigerant.

The same numbers are used with an R- prefix for generic refrigerants, with a "Propellant" prefix (e.g., "Propellant 12") for the same chemical used as a propellant for an aerosol spray, and with trade names for the compounds, such as "Freon 12". Recently, a practice of using HFC- for hydrofluorocarbons, CFC- for chlorofluorocarbons, and HCFC- for hydrochlorofluorocarbons has arisen, because of the regulatory differences among these groups.

See also

• List of refrigerants

References External links

• Refripro, European Portal for Refrigeration and A/C: refrigerant list, legislation, suppliers etc.
• US Environmental Protection Agency page on the GWPs of various substances

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