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Minimum airflow rates to dilute R290 concentrations arising from leaks in room air conditioners

Colbourne, D; Suen, KO; (2018) Minimum airflow rates to dilute R290 concentrations arising from leaks in room air conditioners. In: 13th IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Refrigerants (GL2018). (pp. pp. 36-45). IIR: Valencia, Spain. Green open access

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Abstract

Currently R290 is used to a limited extent in room air conditioners, such as split, portable and window types. The product standard IEC 60335-2-40 currently specifies requirements to limit the charge of flammable refrigerants in such a way that it obstructs the wider use of R290. This is particularly challenging in warm countries where the heat load is greater and thus charge sizes need to be larger for a given room size, inferring higher concentrations in the event of a leak. Relying on the airflow of an indoor unit can be used to dilute a refrigerant leak and thus prevent flammable concentrations forming, despite the charge quantity being substantially greater than that currently permitted in the current standard. Research has been carried out to determine the minimum airflow rate from an air conditioner necessary to achieve sufficient dilution. A numerical model based on entrainment theory was developed and supported by experimentally analysing the behaviour of releases under various conditions with RACS airflow.

Type: Proceedings paper
Title: Minimum airflow rates to dilute R290 concentrations arising from leaks in room air conditioners
Event: 13th IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Refrigerants
Location: Valencia, SPAIN
Dates: 18 June 2018 - 20 June 2018
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.18462/iir.gl.2018.1104
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.18462/iir.gl.2018.1104
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Hydrocarbon refrigerant, R290, flammable, leakage, concentration, safety, room air conditioner
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Mechanical Engineering
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10107060
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