From: jgd@dixie.com (John De Armond)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: Air Conditioning
Date: 29 Jul 92 04:44:04 GMT
Organization: Dixie Communications Public Access.  The Mouth of the South.

(Eric Youngblood) writes:

>|> Several people have been working on an alternative.  DuPont has a product
>|> called SUVA that is designed to be a drop-in replacement for R-12.
>|> George Goble (ghg@ecn.purdue.edu) has developed another patent pending
>|> substitute.  Not only is this product a drop-in replacement, it actually 
>|> improves the cooling capacity of the system by an average of 20%.  I have
>|> been involved with George since the beginning and have installed 
>|> GHG in over a dozen cars.  Over 400 cars total are now running GHG.

>Can you post more information about these drop-in replacements? I have a old
>Firebird/TA that I'd like to keep. I've always purchased R-12 in the 30lb tanks
>and have enough to maintain the system, but would be willing to use a suitable
>replacement in order to be enviro-friendly. It would seem if there is enough 
>demand that someone will supply the product. How stable are they? Are they
>flammable? Are they toxic (if so would a respirator protect you while handling?)

The only substitute I feel qualified to comment on in detail is
GHG.  GHG is a ternary blend of R-22, R-142b
(chlorodifluoroethane), and R-600a  (isobutane).  All are well
known and widely used refrigerants.  None are toxic.  The mix is
no more flammable than R-12 and passes right at the  limit of
Dupont's flammability test.  The Ozone Depletion Potential(ODP)
is  0.05.  R-12 is 1.0.  There is an optional version of GHG
that contains a siloxane-based, air and water catalyzed epoxee
that seals small leaks and porosities. I have only filled one
gross leaker (my own :-).  This system needed charging twice a
season.  GHG leak sealing has been in since about March with  no
evidence of leakage. 

About the only disadvantage of GHG is it is a bit more expensive than
R-12.  It is running about $8 a pound, a price that reflects the fact that
People's Welding (the manufacturer) buys cylinders in dozens instead of 
millions, they have to buy raw materials in relatively small quantities and
a couple of expensive gas chromatographs must be amortized across a relatively
small market.

The mfr is 

People's Welding supply
800 382 9006

The distributor is

Monroe Airtech
522 W 2nd St
Bloomington, IN  47403
800 424 3836
812 332 2284

A fairly detailed article on GHG appears in the free sample issue of 
my new magazine, "Performance Engineering", a magazine dedicated to 
high technology high performance.  You can get the free issue by
sending a request with your postal mail address to perform@dixie.com.
This issue also contains articles on constructing fuel injection testers,
an innovative new Formula Vee suspension system and several others.

John
-- 
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