The Solubility of R-32/125 in Modified Polyalkylene Glycols

Introduction: The air-conditioning and refrigeration industry is well on its way towards the design and commercialization of systems using R134a as the preferred environmentally acceptable replacement for CFC-12 in many applications. The industry is now turning some of its attention to replacements for HCFC-22. The US Clean Air act and its subsequent amendment calls for phaseout of CFCs by the year 2000 and a production freeze on HCFCs by 2015, a use limitation as refrigerants in new equipment by 2020 and a total production phaseout by 2030. In Germany, it is proposed that appliances and equipment using HCFCs be banned by January 1, 2000. Historically the commercialization of a new refrigerant product has taken up to 10 years. Given the current US and international time frames for phaseout of HCFC-22, it is important that research and development on the next generation of zero ozone depletion refrigerants for stationary air conditioning and commercialAndustria1 refrigeration be undertaken now. This paper discusses some of the lubricant requirements for a potential zero ozone depletion replacement for HCFC-22. A March 19, 1982 EPA sponsored Symposium on R-32 and R-32 mixtures in refrigeration applications supported earlier indications that HFC32 blends and azeotropes could be considered as potential replacements for R-22 and R-502. At this Symposium, Allied-Signal announced a new refrigerant, R-32/125 (US Patent 4,978,467) as a potential future member of a family of environmentally safer refrigerants. Both HFC-32 and HFC-125 have zero ozone depletion potentials. However, the combination of these two HFCs into a non-segregating composition appears to provide an optimum balance between the physical and performance characteristics of each component, as will be discussed in other papers at this conference. One of the key decisions to made when developing a new refrigerant is the selection of the lubricant. R-12 is miscible with the mineral oils with which it is used. Much of the equipment used with R-12 takes this into account. To minimize the extent of redesign required R-l34a, the