Gas chromatographic retention parameters database for refrigerant mixture composition management

Composition management of mixed refrigerant systems is a challenging proble m in the laboratory, manufacturing facilities, and large refrigeration mach inery. The issue of composition management is especially critical for the m aintenance of machinery that utilizes zeotropic mixtures as working fluids. These are fluids in which the gas and liquid phases will generally have gr eatly different compositions. While there are many analytical techniques av ailable for laboratory and on-line analyses, gas chromatography probably of fers the greatest flexibility at the most reasonable cost. This paper descr ibes a chromatographic database that provides for the identification of ref rigerant components, and thereby facilitates composition management of zeot ropic fluids. Prior to the description of the database is a description of the basic theory of chromatographic retention parameters and a description of the experimental techniques used in their measurement. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.