Like Carbon Dioxide, hydrocarbons such as Propane R290 were widely used until the commercial introduction of CFCs and HCFCs, both in domestic and industrial settings. Today, they are regaining strong interest because they contain neither fluorine nor chlorine and are environmentally friendly: almost all domestic refrigeration devices currently on the European market are powered by hydrocarbons.
Like Carbon Dioxide, hydrocarbons such as Propane R290 were widely used until the commercial introduction of CFCs and HCFCs, both in domestic and industrial settings. Today, they are regaining strong interest because they contain neither fluorine nor chlorine and are environmentally friendly: almost all domestic refrigeration devices currently on the European market are powered by hydrocarbons.
The use of hydrocarbons for refrigeration brings the great advantage, in addition to excellent heat transport properties, of being able to use mineral oils (MO), thus avoiding problems associated with moisture linked to the use of synthetic lubricants. In the past, one of the strong criticisms leveled against hydrocarbons concerned their dangerous flammability as fuels.
Today, the danger posed by systems operating with hydrocarbons is very low, thanks to the reduced quantity of fuel present in the devices and the provisions of standard EN378 (Refrigeration Systems and Heat Pumps – Safety and Environmental Requirements).
