Engineering360: "Keeping cool sustainably with propane as refrigerant"

In the 1970's some mechanics were using propane as a direct replacement for freon12 in automobiles,with no change in components.

This was used in systems that had persistent small leaks.It performed as well as the freon12.

There were many who protested very loudly about the hazards of explosion and flammability.

Now they are resurrecting an old idea.

I have a co-worker who did the R-12 to propane conversions on his 944's. He loves it.

All efficient refrigeration liquids/gases are flammable to some degree.At certain mixtures ammonia is explosive,and it has been used for many years as a refrigerant in commercial applications.

There is a lot of money invested in researching refrigerants that have a low environmental impact,so anything that threatens that money machine will be discarded off-hand.The next new refrigerant will be a very expensive mix of gases,but still will have more environmental impact on global warming than propane.

It will be hard to get propane used widely for automotive systems because of it's impact on global wealth,not global health.

Of course,propane is not the right choice for all systems,especially for residential uses with split systems where leaks can accumulate under a foundation.But for automotive uses,I don't see many negatives.

I purchased a window air conditioner this past summer that uses propane for refrigerant. But a window air conditioner has most of the plumbing outside of the interior envelope and because it is small, a relatively low amount of propane.

But I agree, there is a lot of money in new refrigerants and you can be sure, the chemical company lobbyists love to have to produce new compounds that they can charge outrageous sums of money to manufacture. Especially when patents are involved. So expect to see a requirement for new refrigerants in another 17 years.