REFRIGERATION PROCESS WITH PURGE AND RECOVERY OF REFRIGERANT

摘要

2076346 9114143 PCTABS00007 A refrigeration process including a refrigeration cycle (1), and refrigerant purge and recovery operations is disclosed. The refrigeration cycle may be a vapor compression cycle (2) or an absorption cycle, for example. A purge stream (12) is withdrawn from the refrigeration cycle (1) and subjected to treatment by means of a membrane separation unit (16). The purge-stream treatment operation produces an essentially pure refrigerant stream (18), suitable for return to the refrigeration cycle, and an air stream (17), clean enough for direct discharge to the atmosphere. The process is applicable to most refrigerants, but is particularly useful in minimizing atmospheric emissions of chlorofluorocarbons, such as CFC-11 and CFC-12.