Choosing a refrigerant is a bit tricky. .
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This post was last edited by “What to do if I can’t swim” on January 6, 2016, at 13:42. I’m just an ordinary person; I have no expertise in refrigeration. However, it is currently necessary to determine the refrigerant choice for the new industrial unit. Operational economics are the main consideration. The conditions are as follows: cooling capacity of 6000 kW, and the cooling temperature of the process medium is -20 degrees Celsius. Continuous operation. For the compressor, a screw compressor is considered; as for the refrigerant, current options include ammonia, propylene, R507, and so on. (The ozone-depleting effect is not taken into account.) I wonder which one uses less power (and money) in operation? Seeking guidance from experts in refrigeration; thanks! !
Considerations should be given to aspects such as molecular weight, temperature and pressure at phase transition, heat capacity, safety, stability, and economic benefits; the specifics are not clear.
For such industrial installations, is ammonia refrigeration generally the choice? Why? Are the operating costs low?
There is one important reason why industrial ammonia with a high cooling capacity differs from the other two you mentioned. The circulation of other refrigerants involves compression and cooling to convert the gaseous refrigerant back into a liquid state. Ammonia can be easily absorbed by dilute ammonia solution to form concentrated ammonia, which can then be converted into liquid ammonia through distillation; this method is much cheaper than compressing it to high pressure first and then cooling it. It’s not clear whether an investment in a system for liquid ammonia circulation is worthwhile given the 6000 kW capacity