Advantage of Azeotropes?

[Lloyd E. Sponenburgh]

I can figure out what azeotropic refrigerants are, but not why.

What's the advantage? Or is is just a way to get the boiling point of non-CFCs to match the older CFC single-component refrigerants?

LLoyd

[Noon-Air]

If a single refrigerant worked efficiently for *ALL* applications, then there would be no need for all of the others.

[Lloyd E. Sponenburgh]

I understand that. In past days, there were numerous types of single-component refrigerants to accomodate different system pressures/capacities/COPs/cooling methodologies.

What I wanted to know - and maybe you answered it diagonally - was: What are the specific advantages to azeotropic mixtures over single-component types; since it appears they could synthesize a single-component refrigerant to meet whatever application? Is there something _special_ about the azeotropes in terms of COP or pressure differentials that's uniquely different from singles?

And where do glides come in? Are there advantages to zeotropic mixtures, or do they just "work OK, so we'll use them"?

LLoyd

[Noon-Air]

I don't get into the actual chemistries and applications of each refrigerant as I do mostly residential comfort systems, and floral coolers. You need to talk to some of the chemical engineers that make the stuff, and some of the refrigeration specialists that are using a lot of different types of refrigerants. One thing that you need to take into account tho are the basic properties....flamable? toxic? etc. Some are prohibited for use in some specific applications because of their flamability and/or toxicity.

[Lloyd E. Sponenburgh]

Yeah... or their decomposition products in contact with hot metals.

Ok... you gave me a homework assignment. Talk to Dow. That'll work.

LLoyd

[Bennett Price]

Perhaps it's as you suggest above, that it would be impossible, impractical or too expensive to manufacture single component non-CFC refrigerants as compared to mixtures.