A working fluid that is helpful in the refrigeration cycle of air conditioners and heat pumps is referred to as a refrigerant. These substances frequently go through multiple phase transitions, switching between the phases of liquid and gas. Furthermore, refrigerants are subject to strict regulations because of their toxicity, ignitability, and the role that CFCs and other similar chemicals play in ozone layer depletion, which can result in climatic changes.
There are some technical questions whose answers you should know if you are aspiring the idea of cold storage units. So, what are the advantages of using Freon instead of ammonia in cold storage ? To learn more about this topic, keep reading the article till the end.
The Freon - What Is It?
Freons frequently include hydrogen, chlorine, or bromine in addition to fluorine as well as carbon. Therefore, Freons are different kinds of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and related substances. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company has trademarked the term Freon as a brand.
To maintain a low temperature, freon gas refrigerant is employed in systems like air conditioners. Dichlorodifluoromethane, a CFC gas that is frequently utilized, is known by the chemical name “Freon.”
Ammonia Gas Refrigerant: What Is It?
In order to capture and transport heat energy while keeping it distinct from the cooling process, ammonia gas is utilized as a refrigerant in refrigeration systems. Ammonia is an odorless, colorless gas that is present in nature. In addition to being used as a refrigerant, it has a wide range of additional applications, including chemical synthesis, the creation of fertilizers, cleaning goods, and medicinal medications.
Industrial refrigeration systems are often substantially larger than standard refrigerators. However, liquid ammonia refrigerant plays a crucial role in refrigeration’s fundamental operation. The refrigerant continuously works to retain and release heat during the vapor compression cycle, which lasts until the compressor achieves its current temperature.
The Main Difference Between Freon and Ammonia
So, What Are The Advantages Of Using Freon Instead Of Ammonia In Cold Storage? What are the disadvantages of cold storage ? Let us explore the questions furthermore by differentiating the freon and ammonia.
The main distinction between ammonia gas and freon gas refrigerants is the amount of refrigerant circulated by the ammonia gas system, which is about seven times less than that of the freon system.
The disparity is pretty large. Freon is a group of chemicals that is typically used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems and is mostly made up of hydrocarbons, fluorine, and bromine. These substances are fairly inert and non-reactive in our devices, have no odor, and are not combustible. Despite the fact that ammonia is the easiest nitrogen-containing base—aside from NaNH2—and has a wide range of chemical and commercial uses, it is by no means inert. It also has a distinct smell and is poisonous.
What Are The Advantages Of Using Freon Instead Of Ammonia In Cold Storage?
Every difficult decision comes with a set of benefits and drawbacks, and “Ammonia vs. Freon” is no exception. For instance, ammonia has the major benefit of making refrigerant leaks “self-alerting” due to its overwhelming odor. The primary and most terrible drawback of ammonia is that, should a coolant leak happen, its “self-alerting” nature makes it a target for harm lawsuits. However, because the halocarbons are almost odorless, leakage frequently goes unreported by anyone outside the maintenance team. This lower danger of litigation is a significant benefit.
The “Ammonia vs. Freon” argument is not symmetrical; the pressure is on halocarbon refrigerants to substitute ammonia as a refrigerant. Ammonia’s overpowering odor clearly announces all of the dangers it poses, and it is so potent that it keeps people away from contaminated areas even at extremely low nonhazardous quantities. Although the biting is much more severe than the bark, lawsuit and regulation are the two main drawbacks of using ammonia as a refrigerant because of the lawsuit and regulation.
Ammonia has typically been the refrigerant of choice for the majority of large-scale refrigeration facilities. The development of new plants with less than 2000 horsepower, as well as the conversion of ammonia facilities of this scale and greater to halocarbon, has increased during the past 20 years. The truth is that plant operators and company board members are ignoring to use of ammonia in favor of halocarbon refrigerants in order to avoid catastrophic legal and regulatory consequences after decades of the effective and well-established usage of ammonium as a refrigerant. Workers at plants frequently file personal damage claims as a consequence of even little, unimportant leaks.
This blog is also worth reading for you:– What is the approximate cost to open a cold storage in Ahmedabad?
Conclusion
In order to capture and transport heat energy while keeping it distinct from the cooling process, ammonia gas is utilized as a refrigerant in refrigeration systems. To maintain a cool temperature, refrigerant systems like air conditioning systems employ freon gas. The main distinction between ammonia gas and freon gas refrigerants is the amount of refrigerant circulated by the ammonia gas system, which is 7 to 8 times less than that of the freon system. However, Freon is better than the Ammonia.
If you would like to learn more about the cold storage units in Meerut, Ludhiana, and Howrah or Pune, contact NSSPL. They would explain everything for you.
