The key difference between ammonia gas refrigerant and freon gas refrigerant is that the ammonia gas refrigerant system circulates 7 to 8 times less refrigerant than the freon refrigerant system.
A refrigerant can be described as a working fluid useful in the refrigeration cycle of air conditioning systems and heat pumps. Often these substances undergo a repeated phase transition, changing the phase from liquid to gas and vice versa. Moreover, refrigerants are heavily regulated due to their toxicity, flammability, and the contribution of CFC and similar substances to ozone depletion, which can also cause climate change.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Ammonia Gas Refrigerant
3. What is Freon Gas Refrigerant
4. Ammonia Gas Refrigerant vs Freon Gas Refrigerant in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Ammonia Gas Refrigerant vs Freon Gas Refrigerant
What is Ammonia Gas Refrigerant?
Ammonia gas refrigerant is used in refrigerant systems to capture and transfer heat energy to keep it separate from the cooling process. Ammonia is a naturally occurring gas that is colorless and has a pungent odor. Besides using as a refrigerant, it has many other uses such as chemical synthesis, fertilizer production, manufacture of cleaning products, and production of pharmaceutical drugs.
Usually, industrial refrigeration systems are much larger than household fridges. However, the basic function of refrigeration revolves around liquid refrigerant ammonia. There is a cycle of vapor compression in which the refrigerant is constantly working to trap and release heat until the compressor reaches its present temperature during the entire cycle.
Steps in Ammonia Gas Refrigeration
There are 8 major steps of ammonia gas refrigeration.
- The liquid refrigerant enters the expansion valve from the receiver, right before the evaporator.
- Then the expansion valve tends to allow the high pressure and temperature liquid to cool down. This drops pressure, and it causes the liquid to become a mixture of vapor and liquid. Since ammonia flows through the evaporator, this cooling down is required to keep the correct amount of heat transfer.
- Then the vapor mixture and the refrigerant absorb heat from the evaporator coil. This can cause the compressor to cycle automatically to maintain a preset temperature or pressure.
- Then the suction line begins to draw the refrigerant towards the compressor. When the refrigerant reaches the compressor, the heat and vapor will compress under high pressure.
- Thereafter, the refrigerant enters the discharge line at a high temperature, or a high-pressure vapor is going to reach the condenser.
- Passing the discharge line, the refrigerant vapor finds its way through the condenser coil. There, the vapor is going to condense into a liquid from the stored latent heat in the refrigerant.
- Now, the saturated liquid refrigerant tends to go through the receiver, where some of the refrigerants get evaporated.
- Finally, the saturated liquid refrigerant enters the liquid line, and then it reaches the expansion valve to begin the process over again.
Moreover, in an ammonia gas refrigerant system, there are some essential cleaning processes that should be run regularly and carefully.
- Condenser coil
- Evaporator coil
- Air filters
- Ventilation system
- Door gasket seals
- Condensation area
What is Freon Gas Refrigerant?
Freon gas refrigerant is used in refrigerant systems such as air conditioning systems to keep the temperature low. Freon has the chemical name dichlorodifluoromethane, which is a widely used CFC gas. It is no longer in use due to ozone depletion effects, climate changes, and other harmful impacts. Its production was banned in developed countries in 1996 under the Montreal Protocol and in developing countries in 2010.
Freon can undergo the evaporation process again and again within most refrigerators to keep the temperature low. This same cycle happens in air conditioners. In this process, the compressor in the refrigerator or the air conditioner compresses cold freon gas. Then a small amount of oil combines with the freon gas for the lubrication of the compressor. Upon the compression of the freon gas, the pressure of the gas rises to make it very hot.
Thereafter, the hot freon gas moves through a series of coils. It has the effect of lowering the heat and converting it into a liquid. Then the freon liquid flows through an expansion valve, causing it to cool down until it gets evaporated. This results in low-pressure freon gas. Then the cold gas channels through another set of coils, and it allows the gas to absorb heat and lower the air inside the room or building.
What is the Difference Between Ammonia Gas Refrigerant and Freon Gas Refrigerant?
There are different types of refrigerants, such as ammonia gas refrigerants and freon gas refrigerants. The key difference between ammonia gas refrigerant and freon gas refrigerant is that the ammonia gas refrigerant system circulates 7 to 8 times less refrigerant than the freon refrigerant system.
Below is a summary of the difference between ammonia gas refrigerant and freon gas refrigerant in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Ammonia Gas Refrigerant vs Freon Gas Refrigerant
Ammonia gas refrigerant is used in refrigerant systems to capture and transfer heat energy to keep it separate from the cooling process. Freon gas refrigerant is used in refrigerant systems such as air conditioning systems to keep the temperature low. The key difference between ammonia gas refrigerant and freon gas refrigerant is that the ammonia gas refrigerant system circulates 7 to 8 times less refrigerant than the freon refrigerant system.
Reference:
1. “Industrial Refrigeration Parts & Equipment.” FrostPoint, LLC.
Image Courtesy:
1. “The ammonia refrigeration system in the Walmart-SCM Balzac distribution centre is energy efficient” By Green Energy Futures (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) via Flickr
2. “R134a container and box” By Лобачев Владимир – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia