Refrigerants Used in Water Coolers

• Refrigerants are gases that are used to cool materials or mediums, like water. Refrigerants are used in both heat pumps and refrigerators to provide a dependable source of cold water. They are made from compounds that expand and compress easily when influenced by heat pressure, allowing them to carry heat through refrigerant lines and distribute it to a particular location. Several types of refrigerants are used in these systems.

Synthetics

• Synthetic refrigerants are made from a combination of chemically-produced gases. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other chlorine compounds are the most common. These refrigerants have come under scrutiny due to their negative effects on the environment, including the depletion of the ozone layer. Newer coolers have moved on to less toxic refrigerants.

Inorganic

• Inorganic refrigerants are natural; they are pure versions of compounds and are not constructed through a chemical process, although they are still refined. One of the most common is ammonia, though other versions, including water, are also used. Manufacturers have taken steps to phase out ammonia because of its toxic properties, but water is still used in some applications.

Organic

• Organic refrigerants are also natural but are based on carbon compounds, specifically hydrocarbons. Carbon dioxide is also used. Originally, the technology did not exist to use hydrocarbons safely and efficiently as refrigerants, but newer technology can use them effectively. Hydrocarbons and similar compounds do not have as negative an impact on the environment as do other options like CFCs.

Mixtures

• Several mixtures of various natural and synthetic compounds are also used as refrigerants. Zeotropic mixtures tend to use three different types of gases and are more thermally stable than azeotropic mixtures, which are made from only two components and may shift properties as they warm and cool in the refrigerant system.