What of kind of refrigerant my Danfoss uses?

[KODE]

Just decided to take look at my old Danfoss Compressor and see if discover what kind of refrigerant it uses. Here´s what I got:

Top of Compressor:

9K18
3265A
N274D115

Yellow label on the side:

PWK18 411U3260
V115 AC 60C 445cm cubic oil

Anyone know what kind of refrigerant it runs?

[JSU]

yellow label i believe means r404a or r12

[KODE]

Thanks for the reply JSU

Why do you think is R404a? just want to learn. Picture of my Chiller below:

[JSU]

b/c i saw a r404a sticker and it was yellow

[JSU]

btw nice chiller

[Pandrone]

The labelcolor is NOT the indication of the refrigerant inside.

Danfoss PW compressors are old stuff, probably R12.

[craig588]

Label color refers to the voltage it runs on IIRC.

[Pandrone]

Originally posted by craig588
Label color refers to the voltage it runs on IIRC.

Exactly, if the compressor has a "refrigerant sticker" they may be in different colors but in sweden R134a is Blue/Seablue/Lightblue, and R404a is Purple if i remember correctly.

This is on Danfoss compressors.

[boshi]

kode, thats a clean looking chiller good job

[KODE]

Thanks for the reply fellas,

I grab this unit pretty much the way it is now, just added a Thermostat, Power LEDs, Acrylic top window, Water-Mixer, and some insulation inside.

Pandrone is right, it's R12, here's the E-mail I received from Danfoss Tech support:

"Dear Mr. Kossatz,

the compressor PW9K18 has been made for
refrigerant R12 (which should be stated on the appliance type label,
can also be named F12 or Freon12 or similar).
If some other refrigerant is stated on the nameplate of the appliance,
please use this.

Since Danfoss stopped production of PW compressors almost 20 years
ago, I do not have proper documentation on this compressor.
The oil will be either mineral oil or alkyl benzene, my guess will be 22cSt
viscosity class, but 32cSt can also be taken.

If the system has not been running with a large leak, so much air entered the system,
or some other major damage has happened, the oil should still be OK.

What is the reason for changing the oil and refrigerant?

If the appliance is still operating, only lost a little refrigerant, the best might be to make a leak test,
repair possible leaks, change the drier and recharge the system.
A recharge of oil is not so easy, as the complete oil filling can not be taken out. There will always
be some volume left in the compressor (can be more than 50ccm)."


I'm planning to modify this unit to a Direct-die unit, what do you think fellas? Is this chiller too old for this job? Can I re-charge it with R404a without damaging the compressor? (changing the oil). I also noticed that the cap is quite short (25-30cm I guess) I'm pretty sure you guys are using way longer caps on Direct-die systems aren't you?

PS: Can I say to the guy from Danfoss that I'm planning to re-charge it with R404a or is this something that voids the compressor "warranty"?

Sorry for all those questions.

[chilly1]

If the compressor is twenty years old I think the warrentee issue is moot. As to charging to 404 That would be fine except for the oil. You will need to recover the 12 and recharge with 404 with a filterdryer replacment, add a little or the 12 back into the system for oil flow and it should operate fine. I would recomment that you change the oil in it to polyolester (ester) oil and when you do this "rinse" the crankcase out a few times with ester oil. This is done to dilute and remove as much as possiable the old oil in the system. You will need to contact danfoss and try to find a compatibility of materials as some of the real old compressors have materials that willbe damaged by the polyolester oil.

[KODE]

Thanks chilly1, I will get in touch with this guys at Dannfoss and see if he can give me some info about compatibility issues when using POE.

Regards,

KODE.

[HawainPanda]

wow...danfoss has really nice service

[KODE]

With all those kind words about my chiller I'm almost quiting my direct-die project Just kidding but It would be nice to have it running again while I make some research about the things involved in Direct die. Since my old NF7-S died (Vdimm mod) I'm not using this chiller anymore. It sure looks great but the condenser fan is REALLY LOUD and this pisses me off. Can I replace It with 2 or 3 90mm fans? Will it hurt my CPU temps badly? (condenser is 21x21cm).

[chilly1]

keep the chiller intact, put a two three way valves in the refrigeration circuit so you can swich between them...

[KODE]

More about the excellent danfoss support:

"Dear Mr. Jürgensen,

Thank you for the reply and also for the information you provided.

I'm looking for lower temps on this Chiller. The main idea is to re-charge the unit with R404a and change the original oil with Polyolester. Is there any parts inside this Compressor that have compatibility issues with POE?

Best Regards"


"Dear Mr. Kossatz,

as this compressor is produced years before introduction of fluorinated refrigerants, as R404A or R134,
the materials will not be tested for compatibility.
In our production and products a lot of small and some larger changes were made to ensure this
compatibility, when R134a production was prepared in around 1990.
The filter driers used for R12 are not compatible with R404A or R134a. There is a need to replace it,
as the drying material can crack and create powder particles wearinbg out the compressor or blocking
the capillary.

There is a big risk, that the compressor contains material that will block your capillary (or other
expansion device) when operating with e.g. R134a.

The compressor is, with this denomination, a LBP or MBP/LBP R12 compressor. This means,
the motor is not strong enough to work reliable with the higher pressure of R404A.
Also, the refrigeration system components (evaporator and so on) are not qualified for the
remarkably higher pressure. Possibly the capillary tube has to be adjusted and for sure the
filter drier has to be replaced.

Danfoss can not recommend the change to refrigerant R404A in this system.

A rebuild with a new R404A compressor can also only be done, if the system design is
checked for the higher pressure and the system is flushed to remove the mineral oil content
coming from the R12 compressor."

[kayl]

drying material can crack and create powder particles wearinbg out the compressor or blocking
the capillary


i never new this and have never heard anyone mention things link this
i wount if ppl here are using the correct driers?

danfoss support really are help full and this guy seems to know alot, pitty he isnt into overclocking would help to have him here

[Pandrone]

Dang, where did you send your mails KODE?

I've mailed danfoss several times but never got replies .

[KODE]

Originally posted by Pandrone
Dang, where did you send your mails KODE?

I've mailed danfoss several times but never got replies .

Pandrone, here's e-mail adress i sent the first time.

productsupport@danfoss.de