Refrigerants are chemicals used in cooling systems for devices like refrigerators and air conditioners. Early refrigerants were toxic, but modern ones can harm the environment. Chlorofluorocarbons were replaced due to ozone depletion, and newer refrigeration technology uses safer alternatives with less chemicals. Older devices still use older refrigerants, and strict regulations exist for their use and disposal.
A refrigerant is a chemical used in cooling systems for mechanical devices such as refrigerators, walk-in freezers or air conditioners. Most refrigeration units depend on the chemical reactions of the refrigerant gas to remove heat from an enclosed area. There are actually numerous gases that have been used as refrigerants. The first refrigerants were highly toxic and dangerous chemicals. The modern gases that have replaced them are safer, but many can have a detrimental effect on the global environment.
Artificial refrigeration by mechanical and chemical processes was developed in the 19th century. Chemists have long known that some chemical reactions absorb or deflect heat, lowering the temperature in a given area. The food and beverage industry of the time needed an alternative to costly and inefficient refrigeration methods that involved transporting and storing ice. Inventors like American Thaddeus Lowe have created complex systems using chemicals to draw heat from enclosed areas, creating a refrigerated compartment. Most of these systems involved some form of refrigerant gas.
A mechanical refrigeration system depends on the storage of a certain amount of gas or refrigerant gases. The device creates controlled chemical reactions by forcing the gas to change state or by combining it with other chemicals, drawing heat from the refrigerated compartment. Early commercial and domestic refrigeration units used gases such as ammonia and methyl chloride. These gases are highly toxic and could cause injury if they escape containment or require maintenance. For this reason, most of the early refrigerant gases are no longer in use.
In the 1950s, home refrigeration units were common in most households in developed countries. Manufacturers of these devices have replaced toxic refrigerant gases with synthetic refrigerants called chlorofluorocarbons. These were safer to handle and store, but scientists soon discovered they had their own problems. In the 1970s, studies revealed that chlorofluorocarbons used in refrigeration units and other devices contribute to ozone depletion. Ozone depletion, which can increase the harmful health effects of solar radiation, was one of the first environmental crises to be widely understood, and international conventions soon outlawed chlorofluorocarbons.
Continued advances in refrigeration technology have produced safe alternative refrigerants and efficient machines that require a fraction of the refrigerant chemicals used by older units. Older refrigerants are still needed, however, for older devices that are still in use, such as in automobiles or industrial freezers. These cannot be converted to modern coolants without prohibitive expense. Government agencies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency have strict regulations on the use and disposal of refrigerants. Persons requiring maintenance of refrigeration units should always consult a qualified technician.
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