Technical Paper
Retrofit of U.S. Navy Aircraft Vapor Cycle Systems to Accommodate Non-CFC-Based Refrigerants
1995-07-01
951455
The U.S. Navy has undertaken the task of retrofitting the vapor cycle cooling systems on each of 11 different aircraft platforms to accommodate non-Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-based refrigerant fluids. This action is in response to governmental protocol that terminates production of CFC-based refrigerants at the end of calendar year 1995 due to their connection with the destruction of the earth's ozone layer. In addition, military legislation regulates acquisition of systems that use CFC-based fluids. The three CFC-based refrigerants used in Navy aircraft vapor cycle systems, CFC-12, -500, and -114, are being replaced by hydrofluorocarbon-based fluids, HFC-134a in most cases. These fluids have a zero ozone-depletion potential. The retrofit process begins with analysis and testing to determine the effects of the candidate replacement fluid on system cooling performance and reliability.
