Propane RV air conditioner...?
Not looking for one, just wondering if there is (or was one.) A co-worker who is an RV'er and I were talking campers and somehow we stumbled on the concept of a propane air conditioner. Seem logic...
Forum Discussion
NRALIFR wrote:
What would make more sense would be if a safe way were developed to use propane not as an energy source to drive the refrigeration cycle, but as the refrigerant itself. Propane is an excellent refrigerant, but as we all know it's also combustible.
It takes less propane to charge the system than any of the traditional R-whatever refrigerants, so the compressor doesn't have to work as hard to achieve the same results. Consequently, the compressor starts easier and it consumes less power.
It's my understanding that most of the new residential refrigerators in the EU use propane as the refrigerant. But, they've had a few accidents with them as well.
:):)
Using Propane as a replacement for R-22 is kind of pointless. It actually has less latent capacity than the R-22 it replaced, and is not all that much cheaper. It also is of no point in this conversation. Refrigerant is not 'used' in a system, it is a working part of the system. You would still require an energy source (electricity) for the cycle, and the less efficient propane filled unit would require more of it to move the same heat. The odorants added to propane also break down the oils in the refrigeration system causing failure of the compressor.
