Conversion of centrifugal chillers to alternate refrigerants

The discovery of the adverse effect of certain chloroflourocarbon refrigerants on the upper atmosphere brought about the need to eliminate the offending refrigerants and replace them with those that are environmentally friendly. The use of a refrigerant different from that used in the original design of a centrifugal chiller creates issues of capacity, efficiency and reliability. The scope of the conversion requirement, alternatives available, the process of conversion and the realized results for low pressure centrifugal compression chillers are presented. The hermetic motor, being the major component, is discussed at length