REFRIGERATION AND AIR

CONDITIONING
ASSIGNMENT # 1

MUHAMMAD HARIS KHAN (6435)

DE-35 MECHANICAL (B)

OZONE DEPLETION POTENTIAL

What is ozone depletion potential (ODP)?
A number of refrigerants used in older refrigeration systems used CFCs and HCFCs.
These contain chlorine, and chlorine in the stratosphere (the region of the
atmosphere between about 10 and 50 km above the Earths surface) was established
as one of the primary causes of the depletion of stratospheric ozone which led to the
formation of the Antarctic ozone hole each spring, along with smaller losses at high
latitudes in both hemispheres. Ozone absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun,
protecting the earths surface. The mere presence of chlorine in a molecule is not
sufficient to threaten stratospheric ozonethe molecule must first be released to the
atmosphere and then remain intact in the atmosphere sufficiently long for it to be
transported to the stratosphere. A metric termed the ozone depletion potential
(ODP) quantifies the destructive effect on ozone of a chemical released to the
atmosphere relative to that of CFC-11, which is assigned an ODP value of 1.

Ozone depletion as a phenomenon

Ozone in the Stratosphere
About 90% of all ozone (O3) in the atmosphere is found in the stratosphere (16 to 32
km above the earth's surface).
In the stratosphere ozone acts as the primary UV radiation shield, short wavelength UV
radiation from the sun (<240nm) provides the energy to split oxygen molecules into
oxygen atoms:
O2(g) + (UV radiation) 2O(g)
Oxygen atoms then react with oxygen molecules to form ozone:
O(g) + O2(g) O3(g)
Ozone can absorb harmful UV-B and UV-C radiation, preventing it from reaching the
earth's surface:
O3(g) + UV radiation

O2(g) + O(g)

The constant formation and destruction of ozone maintains a balance over time. Human
activities, such as the release of chlorofluorocarbons in to the atmosphere, have
disturbed this balance.

Classes of Refrigerants and their ODP

Hydrocarbons and Inorganic Compounds
These include ammonia, CO2, simple hydrocarbons, and water; they are often referred
to as natural refrigerants. (Although these molecules are found in nature, generating
sufficient quantities for refrigeration requires industrial separation processes or, in the
case of ammonia, industrial synthesis.) They have zero ODP.

Halocarbon Refrigerants
The halocarbon refrigerants include one or more of the halogens (i.e., the elements
fluorine, chlorine, or much less frequently, bromine or iodine) in a molecule with a
carbon backbone. These chemicals were first commercialized in the 1930s and include
CFCs (i.e., containing carbon, fluorine, and chlorine), HCFCs (also containing
hydrogen), and HFCs (which do not contain chlorine).

The most harmful refrigerants in terms of ozone depletion are CFCs and HCFCs as is
evident from the table below. R12 is given an ODP of 1, which means it has the highest
ODP of all refrigerants and all other refrigerants are graded relative to this chemical.

Chemistry of Ozone Depletion by CFCs and HCFCs

Ozone (O3), an allotrope of oxygen, is poisonous to humans if breathed in, but is

important to life in that it filters out or absorbs short wavelength ultraviolet
radiation (UV) in the 280 - 320nm range which can cause serious sunburn, skin
cancer and eye disorders.
The inertness and lack of water solubility of CFCs mean they are not destroyed
nor are they dissolved in rain water so they stay in the atmosphere for a very
long time and diffuse up to the stratosphere.
In the stratosphere, CFCs come into contact with short wavelength ultraviolet
radiation which is able to split off chlorine atoms from the CFC molecules
CCl3F(g) + (U.V radiation) CCl2F(g) + Cl(g)

These chlorine atoms decompose the ozone molecules into oxygen molecules
Cl(g) + O3 ClO(g) + O2(g)

There are significant numbers of oxygen atoms in the stratosphere (since ozone
undergoes a natural photochemical decomposition producing oxygen atoms and
molecules) which leads to the regeneration of chlorine atoms in the stratosphere.
So, 1 CFC molecule can destroy many ozone molecules.
ClO(g) + O(g) O2(g) + Cl(g)
HCFCs decompose ozone in the same way, however these are much less stable
and more reactive than CFCs and are more likely to decompose before they
reach the stratosphere, and consequently HCFCs have a much lower ODP than
CFCs.

Measures Taken to Counter Ozone Depletion

Montreal Protocol (1987)
In response to this environmental concern of ozone depletion, the Montreal
Protocol on substances that deplete the Ozone Layer was adopted in September
1987 under the auspices of the United Nations and entered into force January 1,
1989. It has now been ratified by every member 7 country of the United Nations.
The original Protocol called only for a 50% phasedown of the CFCs, but
subsequent changes to the Protocol mandate a complete phase out of both the
CFC and HCFC refrigerants.
One of the initial responses to the Montreal Protocol was to transition certain
applications of CFCs to HCFCs, which have ODP values that are significantly
lower than CFCs, although not zero. The transition to HCFCs was recognized as
an interim measure and allowed for a rapid phase out of the more detrimental
CFCs.

Concurrently, a range of HFCs (which have ODPs of zero) and blends of HFCs
were developed to meet the requirements of most refrigeration applications. In
addition, increased attention was given to reducing emissions from refrigeration
equipment and recovering refrigerant during servicing and at disposal; in some
cases these are mandated by regulations.