Lubricants for lower GWP refrigerants

Lower GWP refrigerants need specific lubricants to grant the efficiency of air conditioning and refrigeration systems. This would extend the systems’ lifespan, reduce their energy consumption, and contribute to the sustainability of our industry.

Description

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Speaker

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Video

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When & Where

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Thu, 13.10.2022, 10:00 – 10:20

Details

Format: Lecture

Language: English

Description

Scientists warned us: the climate crisis is here, and now we are seeing for ourselves by facing new and unpredictable challenges.
As HVAC/R experts, we must do whatever it takes to reduce the environmental impact of air conditioning and refrigeration systems, sharing our know-how, collaborating, and changing our mindset for the better. The transition to lower GWP refrigerants, such as R-744 (CO2), hydrocarbons (R-600 or R-290), HFOs and their blends, and R-717 (Ammonia), indeed, is one of the most widely adopted solutions to decrease the direct emissions of the systems.
Even though this represents a huge step forward, we should consider that those kinds of refrigerants can often cause problems in the systems in terms of working pressure, solubility, chemical stability and, therefore, energy efficiency. Yet, as mentioned before, collaboration is the key: to neutralise the chemical reactions associated with low GWP refrigerants and maintain the efficiency of air conditioning or refrigeration systems it’s essential to use specific refrigeration lubricants whose formulation includes additives that can control/avoid these reactions. Among the specific requirements of an excellent refrigeration lubricant, we find low hygroscopicity and anti-moisture additivation, oxidation stability, and hydrolytic stability, just to mention a few.
The environmental impact of an AC/R system also depends on indirect emissions (energy consumption) which leads the refrigeration lubricants to play a dual role in energy efficiency.

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