Choosing air conditioning equipment
Air conditioning and climate control in the food industry

Choice of refrigerant

The choice of refrigerant is important from a technical point of view, as well as within the framework of legislation governing classified installations for environmental protection.

A distinction is made between direct and indirect refrigerant cooling.

— Direct: the refrigerant circulates throughout the system, including the heat exchangers. The most commonly used refrigerants are inorganic compounds (ammonia) and organic compounds (fluorochlorine derivatives of methane). Note the toxicity of ammonia in vapor form.

— Indirect: the cold storage capacity of ethylene glycol-water solutions is used. Refrigerant transfer, pressure drop, oil return to compressors, pollution and toxicity risks are minimized. The major disadvantage is the creation of...