Fact Sheet: Hydrocarbons (natural refrigerants)
Refrigeration plants using hydrocarbons like propane (R290, C3H8), propene (R1270, C3H6) or iso-butane (R600a, C4H10) have been in operation all over the world for many years. Hydrocarbons are colourless and nearly odourless gases that liquefy under pressure, and have neither ozone depletion potential (ODP = 0) nor significant direct global warming potential (GWP < 3). Thanks to their outstanding thermodynamic characteristics, hydrocarbons make particularly energy efficient refrigerants. Hydrocarbons are flammable, however, with current safety regulations, refrigerant losses are near zero. Hydrocarbons are available cheaply all over the world; thanks to their ideal refrigerant characteristics they are commonly used in small plants with low refrigerant charges.
Characteristics:
Characteristics of propane
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Characteristics of butane
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