An offshore oilrig may not be the most commonly recognised field of application for refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) technology, but it is certainly an important one.

Not only does it provide comfort for people living and working in a potentially hostile environment, is also essential for the smooth operation of the rigs' demanding drilling technologies.
Refrigeration and air conditioning (a/c) equipment utilised in oil rig applications can be anything from 2 to 3 kW split a/c units to thousands of kW installations including centrifugals, packaged chillers and DX systems for process cooling duties.
Air conditioning plays an important role, as in such confined spaces, significant amounts of heat are generated by the drilling machines, pumps, engines and electrical utilities.
Refrigeration technology is mainly used to provide 'normal' living conditions for the people living and working on the rigs (between 60 to 120 persons depending on the size of the facility).
Aberdeen, Scotland-based company HVAC & Refrigeration Ltd, has opted for Rhodia's ISCEON refrigerants range including direct replacements for CFCs and HCFCs (such as R12, R22 and R502) without the necessity of using POE oils or undertaking significant modifications to existing equipment.
The most popular products among the ISCEON range are ISCEON 49
(R 413A) and ISCEON 59 (R 417A).
Rhodia says that while R 413A has become a standard R 12 replacement over the past 10 years, R 417A has only just started being used, since
R 22 is still available and the effects of the phase-out legislation are only now being felt.
R 417A is, according to Rhodia, already becoming well-established and recognised for its energy saving potential, which have been shown to be up to 10 per cent compared with
R 22.

For more information, visit www.isceon-refrigerants.com