HFC-134a is currently used as a refrigerant in automotive air conditioning system replacing the ozone depleting CFC-12 refrigerant. This paper was experimentally studied on the performance characteristics of an automotive air conditioning system with variations of charging refrigerant and compressor speed. An air conditioning system was composed of laminated type evaporator, parallel flow type condenser, vane rotary type compressor, externally equalized thermostatic expansion valve and receiver drier with specifications of Hyundai Sonata Ⅱ vehicle. And the automatic measuring system of air conditioner used KTE-1000BA developed by a KT ENG Co., Ltd.. of Korea. The optimum conditions which were tested as available parameters for better performance are indicated charging refrigerant 800 g and compressor speed 1700 rpm.

HFC-134a는 냉매, 발포제 및 분사제 용도로 사용되며 국내에서는 자동차 에어컨 냉매로 주로 이용되고 있다. HFC-134a는 비이산화탄소(Non-CO2) 온실가스 중 하나로 GWP(global warming potentail, 온난화지수)가 4,300으로 매우 높아 HFC-134a 폐냉매 가스의 적정처리가 요구된다. HFC-134a 처리기술로는 직접 연소법(LNG 연소)과 Plasma 파괴법이 있으며 직접 연소법과 Plasma 파괴법 모두 초기 투자비용이 높고 높은 에너지(온도)가 필요하며, 동시에 처리 과정에서 발생되는 HF로 인한 장치 부식 등의 취약성을 지닌다. 특히 직접 연소법의 경우 분해를 위해 다량의 화석연료가 필요하여 분해 후 배출되는 온실가스 발생량이 높고, Plasma 파괴법의 경우 처리 가스 용량 증가 시 반응기의 크기가 증가함에 따라 Plasma의 밀도가 감소하여 파괴능력이 감소하는 문제점이 있다. 촉매분해법(열분해 및 가수분해)은 직접 연소법과 Plasma 파괴법과 비교하여 낮은 온도에서도 높은 분해효율을 얻을 수 있는 장점이 있으며, 분해로 형성되는 HF를 촉매로 고정할 수 있으나, 주기적인 촉매의 교체와 촉매의 공급단가에 의해 경제성이 크게 의존되는 문제점을 지니고 있다. 그러나 타 공법과 비교하여 매우 낮은 온도에서 운전되기 때문에 연료사용량 및 소비전력을 줄일 수 있는 기술로 평가받고 있다. 촉매열분해 기술은 반응조건(온도, 촉매량 및 공간속도 등)뿐만 아니라 촉매의 성능에 따라 분해효율에 차이를 보이므로, HFC-134a 분해 성능이 우수한 것으로 알려진 Al2O3에 Ni, Fe과 같은 금속을 담지하여 성능을 개선시키는 연구가 진행되고 있다. 본 연구는 촉매열분해 기술을 활용하여 HFC-134a 분해 특성을 파악하고 Ni, Fe, Cr 및 Co를 담지 특성에 따른 분해효율을 평가하고자 한다.

Non-CO2 온실가스인 염화불화탄소(Chlorofluorocarbons, CFCs)와 수소염화불화탄소(Hydro-Chlorofluorocarbons, HCFCs)는 오직 인류의 경제(산업) 활동에 의해 발생하며 인체에 무해하고 안정한 물질이기 때문에 냉매, 분사제, 발포제 등 여러 분야에서 다양하게 사용되었지만 오존층 파괴물질으로 국제협약인 몬트리올 의정서에 의해 생산과 사용이 규제되었다. 이에 대한 대체물질로써 수소화불화탄소(Hydrofluorocarbons, HFCs)와 과불화탄소(Perfluorinated compounds, PFCs)가 개발되었지만 여전히 높은 지구온난화지수(Global Warming Potential, GWP)를 지닌 것으로 알려져 있다. 또한 국내 HFCs 소비량은 꾸준히 증가하고 있는 추세로 HFCs 중 전기･전자제품 및 자동차에 99% 이상 냉매로 사용되는 HFC-134a(1,1,1,2-Tetrafluouroethane, CH2FCF3)는 물리･화학적으로 안정된 난처리성 물질로써 처리 시 많은 에너지(높은 온도)가 필요하며, 강산으로 알려진 불산(Hydrogen fluoride, HF)의 발생으로 처리시설의 부식을 야기시킨다. 이에 따라 HFC-134a의 안정적이고 효율적인 분해 기술 개발을 위한 연구가 필요하다 사료되며 본 연구는 수직형 관형흐름 반응기를 이용한 촉매열분해를 적용하여 촉매별 HFC-134a 분해효율 연구하고, 각 촉매별 열분해 반응 생성물의 비교를 통해 HFC-134a의 촉매열분해 특성을 알아보고자 하였다.

Since HFCs does not contain Cl component, they are not harmful to the depletion of Ozone layer but require reduction especially due to the high GWP (global warming potential). The HFC 134a, known as one of typical refrigerant of HFCs is generally shown to be effectively thermally decomposed only above the temperature of 3,000oC. However, giving condition of sufficient water vapor and the temperature more than 800oC with large heating source like in calcination reactor or blast furnace, the thermal decomposition of HFC 134a will occur easily due the component of H and O contained in water vapor. In order to investigate this phenomenological finding appeared in large scale field test, a series of experimental investigation has been made for the thermal decomposition rate of HFC 134a as a function oxygen and HFC 134a flow rate for a small tubular reactor. In this experiment the wall temperature of tubular reactor was fixed to be 900oC. In order to verify and figure out the finding by experiment, numerical calculation has also been made for the detailed reaction of HFC 134a inside the tubular reactor. The comparison between experiment and numerical calculation are in good agreement each other especially for the rate of thermal destruction at the exit of the reactor. Further, considering the efficient thermal decomposition of HFC 134a in the H2O vapor environment with sufficient heating source, the application of the stoichiometric mixture of hydrogen and oxygen, that is, H2+ 1/2O2, is made numerically in the same tubular reactor, for the thermal decomposition of HFC 134a. The result appears physically acceptable and looks promising for the future method of the HFCs decomposition.

Proper management of refrigerant mixtures containing chlorine and fluorine are gaining worldwide interest in the recent years as, they contribute to global warming and ozone depletion. according to the Montreal Protocol, developed nations have substituted HCFCs in refrigerators and air conditions synthetic greenhouse gas (SGGs) refrigerants such as, R-10 (CCl4), R-23 (CHF3), and R-134a (CH2FCF3). SGGs contribute to the increasing global warming potential. incineration, conventional treatment method of R-134a leads generation of Freon gas, due to excess air during the deacon reaction and due to the flame inhibition of the halogen compound. Therefore, this study proposes on the effective thermal treatment (high-temperature pyrolysis) of R-134a using numerical analysis. R-134a is usually known to have reaction characteristics which degrade only at temperatures reaches 800℃ and contains sufficient moisture in the furnace, HFC-134a refrigerant is treated efficiently by following chemical reaction. C2H2F4+4H2O → 4HF+3H2+3CO2, 4HF+2Ca(OH)2 → 2CaF2+4H2O in this study numerical calculation is performed for the relevant variables. As a result, very positive preliminary results showed about HFC-134a refrigerant treatment. Base on this, in the following study, organized variable research and demonstration experiment will be performed.

This paper attempted to estimate the emissions of HFC-134a from scrap truck as a result of measuring the residual quantities of HFC-134a in air conditioner of scrap truck. We measured the residual amounts in the scrap truck of 138 by applying commercial recover for refrigerants. The average residual rate(disposal-phase emission factor) is reported to be 44.3±3.3% within a confidence interval of 95%. Recent year model trucks exhibit the higher residual rates. Little variation, however, is observed in regard to vehicle size. The HFC-134a emission quantity from scrap truck in 2011 is estimated to be 55,908 tCO2-eq that demonstrates 21.4% increase to compare with that in 2007. As the numbers of truck have increased dramatically during the last two decades, the emissions of HFC-134a from scrap truck would increase sharply in the next coming years. HFC-134a is a very high GWP greenhouse gas. therefore have to reduce the emissions from the scrap truck and need to find ways to recycle. The chemical compositions of refrigerants from scrap truck are quite similar to those of new refrigerants, suggesting that the refrigerants from scrap truck could be reused as refrigerant.

Although scrap domestic refrigerator is regarded as a major source of HFC-134a, little information is available for its emission characteristics of HFC-134a. This paper addresses the fugitive emission factors of domestic refrigerator at usephase and disposal-phase. The residual quantities of Korean-made forty three scrap domestic refrigerators were weighed using a commercial recover of refrigerants to determine the emission factors at the disposal-phase. On the other hand, the emission factors at use-phase were estimated from the residual quantities and operating times. The average residual rate of forty three scarp domestic refrigerators is determined to be 75.1 ± 5.2%. The emission factor at the use-phase is estimated to be 2.4 ± 0.5%/yr as a result of using average age of 12.3 years and the average residual rate determined here. The emission factor at the disposal-phase is determined to be 31.9% after adopting 38% of the recycling rate of refrigerant reported by Recycling Center. We estimate 2.9 g/yr for the average emission quantity of HFC-134a per operating refrigerator, while 33.5 g for that per scrap domestic refrigerator. Since the chemical compositions of refrigerant of scrap domestic refrigerator were the same as those of new refrigerant, it is expected that the HFC-134a recovered from scrap domestic refrigerator can be reused for refrigerant.

This paper attempted to estimate the emissions of HFC-134a from scrap passenger vehicles as a result of measuring the residual quantities of HFC-134a in scrap vehicles. We measured the residual amounts in the scrap passenger vehicles of 196 by applying commercial recover for refrigerants. The average residual rate is reported to be 61.2 ± 2.4% with a confidence interval of 95%. As expected, the higher residual rates are shown for recent models. Little variation, however, is made with vehicle size. The HFC-134a emission quantity from scrap passenger vehicles in 2011 is estimated to be 326,236.83 tCO2 eq that demonstrates 53% increase to compare with that in 2007. As the numbers of passenger vehicles have increased dramatically during the last two decades, the emissions of HFC-134a from scrap passenger vehicles would increase sharply in the next coming years. The chemical compositions of refrigerants from scrap passenger vehicles are quite similar to those of new refrigerants, suggesting that the refrigerants from scrap passenger vehicles could be reused.