Ben & Jerry's, GE work on greener freezers for US

[Kadie]

Ben & Jerry's, GE work on greener freezers for US
By ALEX DOMINGUEZ, Associated Press Writer

Sunday, September 27, 2009

(09-27) 09:06 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --

Think propane and butane are just for barbecuing? Think again: The common cooking fuels can also chill your drinks and ice cream with less energy and almost none of the global warming worries of current refrigerants.

Some of the world's largest consumer product companies are promoting freezers and refrigerators in the U.S. that use propane, butane and other coolants that don't trap heat in the atmosphere as much as Freon and other conventional refrigerants.

The new so-called hydrocarbon coolers — already popular in Europe — are being tested by Ben & Jerry's ice cream company at stores in the Washington and Boston areas. Meanwhile, General Electric is seeking approval to market a home refrigerator in the U.S. using a hydrocarbon refrigerant.

The new freezers take advantage of the way hydrocarbon gases absorb heat when they change from a liquid to a gas. It's the same process when a propane tank becomes cool to the touch when you're using it with a gas grill. The hydrocarbon refrigerant is compressed and expanded as it makes its way through the compressor and tubes surrounding the freezer.

Unlike car exhaust or power plant pollution that's spewed directly into the air, the coolants used in most U.S. refrigerators today only enter the atmosphere when their compressors leak, or when appliances are thrown out and their refrigerant eventually escapes.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/09/27/national/a090603D79.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0SKI7etXw

[AnnieBW]

1. I'd buy one

Provided that it comes stocked with B&J.

[applegrove]

2. Cool!

[Trillo]

3. Are there safety concerns? Flammability?

It used to be illegal to use those flammable gasses in an automotive refrigerant system. Perhaps the danger with a car is when a flexible hose bursts and a bunch of the gas is released.

That is probably a lot less likely with home appliances, but the question still stands. Is there increased fire danger?

I know that home refrigerators occasionally need refrigerant recharging. This implies they have slow leaks from time to time. I also have personally seen a few-year-old window A/C unit that due to vibration, the refrigerant pipe that connected to the compressor, I don't remember if it was low (suction) or high (pressure) side, fatigued, and developed a large crack. I would guess it released it's freon in a fairly large volume over a short time. I believe the pipe was made of some alloy of copper. But that was a non-flammable gas, so there was no possibility of fire.

[DCKit]

4. Good question, but there's so little gas in the system, it's not a problem. n/t