Refrigerant System Chemistry Insight on Refrigerant Stability Assessments

ABSTRACT: When designing a reliable air conditioning or refrigeration system, many considerations must be placed on the compatibility of the fluids—the refrigerant and lubricant—and materials with which they will interact over the lifetime of the system. Issues related to material incompatibility can lead to failures of seals which are critical to keeping the refrigerant gas contained, or failure of the electric motor—which is necessary for the system to operate, while chemical instabilities can lead to production of unwanted contaminants in the system that could impact system operation or the safety characteristics of the refrigerant. To aid in the prediction of these risks, accelerated compatibility assessments are utilized that require expertise in handling of high pressure gases. This seminar will give an introduction to HVAC&R system chemistry and accelerated life testing techniques, with a heightened focus on the analytical techniques which are utilized to assess the chemical stability of the system.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Elyse Sorenson is a Chemist in the Materials & Chemistry Network of Excellence focused on development of advanced laboratory testing capabilities of chemicals and materials. She joined Ingersoll Rand in 2009 after working for two years as a chemistry intern and has been focused on chemical testing of refrigerants and lubricants and advanced thermal and spectroscopic analyses of materials. In addition to her active participation in the American Chemical Society, Sorenson is also a member of ASHRAE and has published a conference paper on chemical stability for the January 2015 Chicago meeting. Sorenson received her BS in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and is currently finishing her Master of Chemistry in Analytical Chemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology.