|
|
Article: Ammonia as a refrigerant: although a minority use for ammonia, refrigeration has made something of a comeback since the banning of various chlorofluorocarbons under the Montreal Protocol.(Ammonia)
- Article from:
- Nitrogen & Methanol
- Article date:
- July 1, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 BCInsight LTD. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Something in the region of 130m t/a of ammonia is produced globally. Of this, about 80% is used for agriculture, either directly applied as in the US, or via conversion into urea, ammonium nitrate, diammonium phosphate or other fertilizers. Of the remainder, most is used industrially for chemical production. Only about 2% is used as a refrigerant.
This was not always the case. In the 1950s, for example, ammonia was used as the primary refrigerant in 20% of marine cargo ships, and carbon dioxide formed most of the rest. It is still common in industrial refrigeration systems, and may represent 10-15% of commercial refrigeration systems. However, during the 1960s ...