Modified polyol ester is a suitable lubricant in a refrigeration syst...
Lubricants are essential for the performance and longevity of a refrigeration system. The choice of lubricant depends on the system, the refrigerant, and the type of application.
There are several categories of oils:
Mineral oils: They are particularly suited for use with CFC (R11, R12), HCFC (R22, R142b, R123) refrigerants, and ammonia.
Alkyl Benzene Oils (AB): AB oils are especially recommended for refrigerants like R-22 and HCFC blends.
Poly Alpha Olefins (PAO): It can be described as ‘mineral synthetic oils.’ PAO oils can be used in refrigeration systems working in extreme conditions with R-22 or ammonia. It has a low pour point and excellent thermal stability.
Poly Alkylene Glycols (PAG): These were the first oils developed for use with HFC refrigerants and are perfectly miscible with these products.
Polyol Ester Oils (POE): POE constitutes the second generation of lubricants developed for use with HFC’s (R134a, R152a). POE oils are excellent lubricants, less hygroscopic than PAG (Poly Alkylene Glycols), and chemically more stable than PAG when in the presence of water. POE oils are intended for all refrigeration and air conditioning applications.
HFCs cannot be used with mineral oils. Generally, POE is used. R134a is not miscible with mineral oil; therefore, a synthetic lubricant of polyester is used.