From: ghg@freedom.ecn.purdue.edu (George Goble)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Re: Promising New R-12 Substitute
Date: 16 Nov 1994 00:04:14 GMT
Message-ID: <3abi9u$mi6@mozo.cc.purdue.edu>
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Lines: 59

In article <1994Nov15.184822.8343@newsgate.sps.mot.com> mark@wdc.sps.mot.com (Mark Shaw) writes:
>An interesting letter showed up in the IEEE "Spectrum" this month
>about fluoro-iodocarbon (FIC) refrigerants which show promise as
>a drop in substitute for R-12 and a replacement for Halon.  
>
>I contacted Jeff Levy at the EPA SNAP program and confirmed that
>they had seen some promising evaluations, but had not yet received
>an application for approval.  He did give me the name of a contact
>for Icon Corp in Alburquerque, NM, who is the developer of the FICs.
>
>Some additional information is being sent to me about it.  They are
>currently working on their SNAP submission package and plan to apply
>for an automotive certification, as well as stationary refrigeration
>and fire extinquishing.
>
>Has anyone else out there in netland got any info on this?
>
>Mark

Icon gave a long talk (about 1 hour) at this summer's Purdue
Compressor Conference.. I video taped it.


That have a whole family of compounds.. which have at least
one Iodine atom in a molecule. Here is what I have from memory.

1) currently is costs hundreds of $$$ per pound.. but
   that will come down as production ramps up.

2) most common compound was CF3I.

3) very good fire extinguishant..almost as good as the halons..
   the most promising halon replacement.

4) has extremely high ozone depletion (destroys ground ozone)..
   but atmospheric lifetime is around 1 day.. so it never
   makes it to the stratosphere to hurt the "good" ozone.

5)  not too hot as a refrigerant in pure form.. but can
    be blended with other things, which are good but
    flammable refrigerants.. and it supresses flammability,
    but takes around 50% by volume to do that in a blend.

6) Stability needs some work..  Ran in a household fridge
   ok.. Others have done thermal tests in the 300F region
   and breakdown happens (Iodine bond is very weak)..
   seemed more unstable than R-22, etc... much ongoing
   work in this area.

7) Toxcity testing needs to be done.. This sparked
   lots of arguements at the talk.. The inventors had
   inhaled it and lived (so did the inventor of R-12).

8) some decomposition in sunlight.. like a sight glass..
   turns purple a little bit..

9) I think it runs in mineral oil..

--ghg  ghg@ecn.purdue.edu   http://ghg.ecn.purdue.edu