F-Gas English Low GWP

All questions
HFC | Flammable | CO₂ | NH₃
Easy questions | Medium questions | Difficult questions

1

Difficult

Why do liquid and oil separators in CO₂ systems require particular attention?


Because sight glasses and level indicators must not be used in CO₂ systems
Because CO₂ needs no lubrication, so oil separators are unnecessary
Because CO₂ is flammable and separators must not be used
Because of very high pressures – adequate PS and protection devices are required

2

Difficult

What is the critical pressure of CO₂ (R744)?


Approx. 10 bar
Approx. 31 bar
Approx. 120 bar
Approx. 74 bar (abs)

3

Difficult

What characterises the transcritical process in CO₂ systems?


It is irrelevant to system operation
Conventional condensation occurs
It occurs only at low temperatures
Heat rejection takes place above the critical point – the refrigerant does not condense in the conventional way (gas cooler instead of condenser)

4

Difficult

What characterises the subcritical CO₂ process?


The absence of evaporation
Operation above the critical point
The conventional condensation process below the critical point
The absence of condensation

5

Difficult

When can dry ice (solid CO₂) form?


At high pressure
When the pressure drops suddenly below the triple point (approx. 5.2 bar abs, −56.6 °C), e.g. when venting liquid CO₂ or charging liquid into an evacuated system
During normal operation of the system
At high temperature

6

Difficult

What risks are associated with dry ice forming in a CO₂ system?


No risk
Pressure reduction
Blocked pipes and valves and system damage (and a sharp pressure rise when it thaws)
Improved efficiency

7

Difficult

How does CO₂ saturation pressure change as temperature increases?


It decreases
It first decreases, then increases
It remains the same
It increases rapidly

8

Difficult

What happens to CO₂ above the critical point?


It ceases to conduct heat
It turns into a solid
It turns into a liquid
It transitions to a supercritical state (no distinction between liquid and gas)

9

Difficult

What is the main characteristic of R744 (CO₂) refrigeration systems?


No need for control
Low operating pressures
Very high operating pressures
Low energy efficiency under all conditions

10

Difficult

What are the requirements for piping materials in CO₂ systems?


Only plastics
They must withstand high pressures (e.g. stainless steel, high-strength copper-alloy tubes such as K65)
Any material may be used
It doesn't matter

11

Difficult

How does a booster system work in CO₂ installations?


It reduces the refrigerant quantity
It is used to store refrigerant
Low-temperature (LT) compressors discharge into the suction of medium-temperature (MT) compressors – two-stage compression in a single circuit
It reduces evaporator pressure

12

Difficult

Why is pressure optimisation in CO₂ systems crucial?


It enables the system to achieve maximum energy efficiency in transcritical mode
It reduces the amount of refrigerant
It reduces the ambient temperature
It doesn’t matter

13

Difficult

What role does parallel compression play in CO₂ systems?


It lowers the ambient temperature
It compresses flash gas from the intermediate receiver directly to high pressure, improving efficiency
It has no significance
It increases energy consumption

14

Difficult

How does an ejector work in a CO₂ system?


It increases the amount of refrigerant
It lowers the evaporator temperature
It uses the energy of the higher-pressure refrigerant to raise the pressure of the refrigerant from the lower stage, which improves efficiency
Stores the refrigerant

15

Difficult

What is the function of liquid ejectors in CO₂ systems?


They return liquid from the separator and allow partially flooded evaporator operation (better evaporator feed)
They raise the refrigerant temperature
They increase the amount of oil
They reduce atmospheric pressure

16

Difficult

What are the characteristics of partially flooded systems in CO₂ systems?


Lack of regulation
Low operating pressure
The presence of liquid in the evaporator, which improves heat transfer and efficiency
The absence of liquid in the evaporator

17

Difficult

What is the main risk associated with standstill pressure in CO₂ systems?


A decrease in refrigerant quantity
Increased efficiency
A pressure rise as the refrigerant warms up during standstill (possibly exceeding PS and lifting the relief valves)
A drop in temperature

18

Difficult

How is standstill pressure limited in CO₂ systems?


By completely shutting down the system and power supply
By increasing the refrigerant charge
By using an auxiliary standstill (stagnation) cooling unit, e.g. cooling the receiver, with back-up power, and by selecting an adequate PS and relief valves
By raising the plant-room temperature

19

Difficult

What does standstill (stagnation) of a CO₂ system mean, and why is it important?


A drop in system temperature
A state with no compressor operation or refrigerant flow – pressure rises with ambient temperature and may exceed PS
Improved efficiency
Normal system operation

20

Difficult

Which safety class applies to R744?


B2L
A2.
A3
A1

21

Difficult

In a simple single-stage R744 system without an intermediate receiver (refrigerant flows from the gas cooler directly to the expansion valve), operating transcritically at 90 bar with a gas-cooler outlet temperature of 35 °C, the refrigerant upstream of the expansion valve is…


…a supercritical fluid
…a two-phase mixture at intermediate pressure
…saturated vapour at intermediate pressure
…a subcooled liquid

22

Difficult

In R744 transcritical systems, the gas cooler outlet valve controls:


The inlet temperature to the gas cooler
The gas cooler fans
The pressure in the gas cooler
The outlet temperature of the gas cooler

23

Difficult

What is the main reason for using K65 copper tubing in some R744 systems?


They come in a wider range of diameters
They can withstand higher pressures
They have good low-temperature performance
They bend easily

24

Difficult

Why should an evacuated R744 system initially be charged with refrigerant in the vapour phase?


To avoid damaging the compressor with liquid CO₂
To prevent the drain valve on the receiver from opening
To charge R744 more slowly and measure it more accurately
To prevent dry ice forming (until approx. 5.2 bar abs is exceeded)

25

Difficult

If moisture remains in an R744 system because it was not properly evacuated (dehydrated), what is the likely consequence?


Excessive discharge pressure
Formation of hydrogen fluoride and hydrofluoric acid
Formation of carbonic acid, which damages the system
Reduced cooling capacity

26

Difficult

The pressure of R744 at a saturation temperature of 20 °C is approx.


14 bar g
25 bar g
56 bar g
90 bar g

27

Difficult

At an ambient temperature of 25 °C, the standstill pressure in the low-pressure stage of an R744 cascade (without standstill cooling) will typically be…


…approx. 27.5 bar g
…the same as the high-pressure switch setting
…the same as the relief valve set pressure
…higher than the maximum allowable pressure (PS) of the low-pressure stage

28

Difficult

What is the correct definition of critical temperature?


The temperature at which the vapour pressure of a liquid is equal to the ambient pressure surrounding the liquid
The temperature at which, for certain substances, electrical resistance is zero
The temperature at which a substance changes from a gaseous to a solid state
The temperature above which there are no distinct liquid and gaseous phases

29

Difficult

In the gas cooler of a transcritical system, the supercritical working fluid…


…rejects heat as its temperature falls
…rejects heat at constant temperature and pressure
…rejects heat as its pressure falls
…rejects heat during a phase change

30

Difficult

Why does the efficiency of transcritical CO₂ systems fall in warm climates, and how is this mitigated?


CO₂ freezes in the gas cooler – heaters are used
Efficiency does not depend on climate
At high ambient temperatures the system operates transcritically with large throttling losses – parallel compression and ejectors are used, among others
Gas cooler pressure drops – extra charge is added