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  AMMONIA and CARBON dioxide:
the NATURAL FLUIDs ZUDEK

 

FLUID REFRIGERANTSAmmonia

The fluid refrigerant is the blood of every refrigeration system. Its job is to boil in a low pressure compartment (and temperature) and condense in another recipient at high pressure. Many aspects come into consideration when evaluating and choosing a liquid refrigerant.

  • Energy efficiency
  • Environmental impact and short-term and long-term consequences on the environment
  • Thermal exchange capacity
  • Specific performance per kg of fluid
  • Perceptibility of leaks and facility of maintenance
  • Exercise pressure neither too low or high
  • Compatibility with materials of construction
  • Reparability and cost Ammonia and CO2 pipe sections

AMMONIA
Ammonia is a natural fluid. Used in refrigeration systems plants from the beginning (Carré’, 1859), even today it shows notable advantages compared to other fluids.

Above all, the coefficient of performance (C.O.P.) is higher. Even the specific performance is very high, which permits us to reduce the dimensions of the machine.
It is very efficient in thermal exchange: as a result, the heat exchangers are smaller. The cost of ammonia is a fraction the cost of other hydro-fluoro liquids. Ammonia, classified as a toxic gas, doesn’t cause any damage to the environment or to the ozone layer.

Most importantly, it reduces the impact of global warming directly because it is not a greenhouse gas. It also consumes less energy. If it gets released into the environment, it gets reabsorbed.

The pungent odour of the ammonia also serves as a security factor. The olfactory threshold perception is at 5 parts per million (5 ppm or .0005%), the threshold of supportability is about 50 ppm while intoxication comes when values are higher than 500 ppm. If there is a leak, it is immediately perceptible.

The image presented is the comparison table of the pipe sections (with the same amount of cooling power. The ammonia and CO2 pipes are lighter and require less thermal insulation).

CO2 in Industrial refrigeration plantsCO2

CO2, or carbon dioxide, can be an excellent choice as a fluid refrigerant. Thesalient characteristic of CO2 is the elevated pressure that is reached during functioning. If on one hand it requires a more robust structure, on the other, it permits a notable reduction of pipe dimensions, thanks to the higher density of gas. From the environmental point of view, in the case of leaks or accidental dispersions, carbon dioxide does not damage the ozone. Although it is not neutral like ammonia, it certainly presents a lesser impact on the greenhouse effect compared to fluorinated refrigerants. CO2 is also non-toxic.
Economically, CO2 costs 1/10 of Ammonia and 1/1000 the cost of Freon.