What safety precautions should be taken for the use of refrigeration systems with hydrocarbon natural refrigerants?
While natural refrigerants offer clear advantages, hydrocarbons are highly flammable and must be handled with care. Hydrocarbons can pose an explosion risk if the concentration is between the lower and upper flammability limits.
The following are some of the current precautions that are recommended for the use of JULABO refrigeration systems with hydrocarbon natural refrigerants:
1. All units should be installed in a room with the required minimum size or larger. The minimum room ‘volume’ is determined if a complete release of the hydrocarbon refrigerant occurs, and the concentration of gas is less than the lower flammability limit (LFL).
a. For example, with R290 (propane) there must be 1m3 | 35.3ft3 of space per 0.0008kg | 0.0282oz. A refrigerant charge of 37g | 1.2oz requires a minimum room size of 43.8m3 | 1547ft3.
2. Do not install the chiller near an ignition source.
3. Always plug the power cord into the chiller first and then into the power supply.
4. Immediately stop using the chiller if you detect a refrigerant leak.
5. Only have maintenance and repair work conducted by trained JULABO service technicians.
Contact JULABO USA if you have any questions or concerns about hydrocarbon natural refrigerants.
DISCLAIMER: To ensure safety, hydrocarbon applications are governed by various international, national, and regional standards and regulations. Main safety standards are the IEC 60335-2-40, IEC 60335-2-89, ISO 5149 and EN378. Customer assumes responsibility to follow the standards for their specific use case. Each installation is unique, and the above precautions are demonstrative but not intended to be the exclusive list of precautions necessary to ensure the safe usage of JULABO products.
All JULABO products are sold subject to the warranties and limitations included at the time of purchase.
