The Advantages of Ammonia As Refrigerant

Refrigeration has become something of a modern necessity. Food, medical supplies, and other important products all have to be kept cool to stay fresh and usable. Many refrigerant chemicals have been downsized over the years because they aren't environmentally safe. Ammonia, on the other hand, is safer, and though it shouldn't be ingested, it does provide many advantages as a refrigerant.

Environmental Safety

• There are a variety of different chemicals that have been used as industrial refrigerants over the years, but ammonia is one of the few that is environmentally compatible. Made of nitrogen and hydrogen, ammonia occurs naturally (though most ammonia used by people is manufactured). As such, ammonia poses no danger to the environment and doesn't harm the ozone layer, unlike many CFCs and other chemicals that have been used as refrigerants in the past.

Odor

• Anyone who has ever encountered ammonia knows that, while it may be colorless, it has a sharp, pungent odor that stings the nose. This is one of ammonia's greatest advantages as a refrigerant because that makes it very easy to detect. Many chemical refrigerants have no smell or color, and as such, it becomes very difficult to tell if they're chemicals or if they're just water. Additionally, it can become hard to tell when there's been a leak or a spill with other chemicals, but ammonia's smell acts as a safety precaution when there is a leak in refrigeration.

Efficiency

• Ammonia is generally known to be an extremely efficient refrigerant. According to Goodway.com, ammonia is 3 to10 percent more efficient than other CFCs that have been used as chemical refrigerants in the past. This efficiency means there is less energy required to keep an ammonia-based refrigeration system at its proper levels over time. There will be less electricity used, and the ammonia-based system will be cheaper to run overall.