PTFE which translates to Polytetrafluoroethylene is a fluoropolymer plastic that has a kind of ivory white color. This is a material that has found uses in many industrial applications such as food, aerospace, pharmaceutical and machine manufacturing industries. PTFE is a lightweight, flexible and non-porous, so it can be exposed to a wide range of working conditions and exposed to any humidity. PTFE is not a particularly strong plastic, and is therefore less prone to damage and chemical reactions than many other plastics. It is not heat stable however, so does not last forever when exposed to excessive heat.
The PTFE coolant is not as efficient as pure Freon. There is a tradeoff for the extra bulk. Also, because the fluoropolymer solution is a liquid, it is more sensitive to refrigerant leakages, a problem that is exacerbated when a leak is suspected in the early stages of operation. This can lead to the unit overheating, and it must be reactivated to function again.
The Freon is not what we want to make use of in the air conditioning cycle. PTFE material contains carbon with fluorine so the release of the Freon is counter balanced by the chemical reaction. Also, if we choose to react it, the Freon will remain in the unit and remain hazardous to people and the equipment when the cycle is deactivated, so an alternate cooling cycle is required.The coolant, Freon, is usually injected in a small amount of water, which reacts with the reaction products and forms the water aerosol needed to remove the mixture. It will react with any Freon, but usually with the liquid type Freon. They are very similar in structure. We are not using a gas that has been compressed, then liquefied, and then injected. This is a very good thing, as it gives us a very light solution that helps reduce the pressure needed to react the Freon. This is less than a pound per square inch, which is about the same as the one used in the automobile.
So there is a lot that goes into the success of the operation, but this is a very important aspect of the efficiency of a solar system. As we can see, it has a lot of benefits, but it is not inexpensive. It is just good management and good design that will make sure that these pieces of equipment are working well together.
We are not going to discuss about gas powered systems, as they are not used very often, and are costly.
Solar power systems are very costly. But we need to be sure that our solar panels and the other pieces of equipment are matched correctly, or this could cause us problems. We need to match them so that it works together to give us maximum efficiency. We also need to match the sun, because it will rise and set where ever we are, and if we are not there to charge the battery, it will not be effective. This will require some great planning and some great foresight.
So it will be a great topic to look at some time when we have a lot of experience with all these systems.
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