All HVAC&R operators should understand why hydrocarbon charge size restrictions were first enacted. We explain in globalFACT’s latest op-ed, What’s the Big Deal about Hydrocarbon Charge Sizes? in RAC Plus. 

READ WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL HERE.

In the refrigeration cycle, pressures at the compressor and condenser reach about 200-400 psi (13.7 bar to 27.6 bar) for typical refrigerants used, which is in stark contrast to the typical operating pressure of a propane heating appliance that operates around 0.2-0.4 psi (0.01 bar to 0.03 bar).

HVACR systems are [also] fundamentally designed with thinner-walled heat exchangers, in order to help with heat transfer, whereas the thickness of household piping used in propane systems is not limited by heat transfer concerns.

These differences between refrigeration system operating conditions and design and that of a propane boiler lead back to one inescapable fact: refrigerating appliances have a higher probability of leaking than the liquid propane tank feeding the domestic boiler.

You can read What’s the Big Deal about Hydrocarbon Charge Sizes? directly on RAC Plus.