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Refrigerants for vapour compression refrigeration systems

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Abstract

With the mandate of Montreal Protocol banning ozone depleting substances, and Kyoto Protocol later on curtailing the use of substances which contribute to global warming, conventional refrigerants are to be replaced by environment-friendly working fluids. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are being substituted by hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), hydrofluorooelifins (HFOs), and a variety of mixtures. In view of the global warming potential of these newly synthesized refrigerants, the recent trend is to go back to the originally used natural fluids such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, water vapour, etc. In this article, various issues related to this changeover of refrigerants being used in vapour compression refrigeration systems are discussed.

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The authors are at Refrigeration and Airconditioning Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, Chennai.

G Venkatarathnam’s interests are refrigerants and refrigerant mixtures, vapour compression refrigerators, cryogenic systems and processes and compact heat exchangers.

S Srinivasa Murthy’s interests are mixture based refrigeration & heat pump systems, sorption cooling systems, clean and renewable energy and heat & mass transfer in porous media.

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Venkatarathnam, G., Srinivasa Murthy, S. Refrigerants for vapour compression refrigeration systems. Reson 17, 139–162 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-012-0015-x

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