What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Ammonia Air Coolers?

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Ammonia Air Coolers?

An ammonia air cooler is a device that uses ammonia as a refrigerant to cool air.

The principle of operation is usually as follows:

Ammonia absorbs heat in an evaporator and changes from a liquid to a gaseous state, thereby lowering the temperature of the surrounding air.

The gaseous ammonia is compressed by a compressor, which raises its pressure and temperature.

The high temperature and pressure of the ammonia gas enters the condenser, where it is recondensed to liquid ammonia by dissipating heat to the surroundings.

Liquid ammonia enters the evaporator again after the pressure is reduced by the throttle valve, and the refrigeration process is carried out cyclically.

Ammonia air cooler is commonly used in industrial refrigeration, cold storage and air-conditioning systems and other fields, with high refrigeration efficiency and large refrigeration capacity.

The advantages of ammonia air coolers include:

Efficient refrigeration: ammonia has good thermodynamic properties that enable it to achieve high refrigeration efficiency and provide a large cooling capacity.

Environmentally friendly: Ammonia has no damaging effect on the ozone layer and has a relatively low Global Warming Potential (GWP).

Lower cost: Ammonia is relatively economical as a refrigerant.

However, there are some drawbacks to ammonia air coolers:

Toxicity: Ammonia is toxic and may be hazardous to humans in the event of a leak.

Flammability: Under certain conditions, ammonia is flammable, increasing the safety risk.

System complexity: the design and maintenance of ammonia refrigeration systems are demanding, requiring specialised technology and strict safety measures.

High requirements on materials: ammonia is corrosive, which has high requirements on the choice of materials for pipes and components in the refrigeration system.

Ammonia air coolers are widely used in the following fields:

Food refrigeration and freezing: used in all kinds of food processing plants, cold storage, etc., to ensure the freshness and quality of food during storage and transport.

Chemical industry: In chemical production, cooling some reaction processes or material storage that require specific temperature conditions.

Pharmaceutical industry: to ensure the temperature requirements during the production and storage of drugs.

Agriculture: For example, it plays a role in the refrigeration and preservation of agricultural products and the storage of seeds.

Large commercial air-conditioning systems: providing cooling services for large shopping centres, office buildings, etc.