How to convert CFC-12 chillers to HFC-134A

Journal Article · Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Heating, Piping and Air Conditioning; (United States)

OSTI ID:6505347

Bell, A M ^[1]

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1. SnyderGeneral Corp., Minneapolis, MN (United States)

With less than three years to go before CFC production comes to a halt, the need to retrofit, replace, or manage the containment of CFC-based HVAC systems is a pressing concern for everyone with equipment that runs on a CFC refrigerant today. For building owners and others whose properties are cooled by large tonnage centrifugal chillers operating on CFC, the problem is even more serious. The HVAC industry does not have the capacity to replace every centrifugal chiller currently running on CFCs with new, ozone-safe equipment prior to the December 31, 1995 phaseout deadline. After the phaseout date, CFC refrigerants will be both difficult to find and expensive to purchase. In addition, the possibility of a new equipment order bottleneck is very real as the demand for ozone-safe centrifugal chillers continues to grow in upcoming months. As a result, when retrofitting is feasible, it should be considered as an alternative to purchasing new equipment. This article discusses how one such conversion option - retrofitting with HFC-134a - pertains to centrifugal chillers that currently operate on CFC-12 or R-500. The author reviews the procedure, performance, and costs of an HFC-134a conversion and explain why owners of CFC-12 and R-500 machines should consider the many benefits retrofitting with HFC-134a can offer.

• OSTI ID: 6505347
• Journal Information: Heating, Piping and Air Conditioning; (United States), Vol. 65:4; ISSN 0017-940X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
AIR CONDITIONERS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
RETROFITTING
CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS
MATERIAL SUBSTITUTION
AIR CONDITIONING
CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS
COEFFICIENT OF PERFORMANCE
COMPRESSORS
FREONS
THERMAL EFFICIENCY
EFFICIENCY
HALOGENATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PUMPS
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
320106 - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Building Equipment- (1987-)
320303 - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Equipment & Processes