Nicholaos G. Demas

Tribological Studies on Scuffing Due to the Influence of Carbon Dioxide Used as a Refrigerant in Compressors

Because hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants in air-conditioning systems are known to have a negative effect on the environment, carbon dioxide (CO2) is a candidate as a replacement refrigerant. Research work related to CO2 as a refrigerant has been focused primarily on its thermodynamic performance, whereas work in the area of tribology related to carbon dioxide is absent. In this study, the effects of CO2 used as a refrigerant on the tribological behavior of surf aces in contact in such systems were investigated. Controlled experiments were performed at constant loads in environments of CO2 and the conventional HFC refrigerant, R134a, as well as under conditions of step-increasing loads in the presence of refrigerant (CO2 or R134a) and polyalkylene glycol lubricant. The experiments were performed on a high-pressure tribometer that is particularly suited for tribological testing of compressor contact interfaces. The tribological behavior of contacting surfaces in a CO2 environment was nearly identical to that in an R134a environment when tested under the same operating conditions.

Ultra High Pressure Tribometer for Testing CO2 Refrigerant at Chamber Pressures up to 2000 psi to Simulate Compressor Conditions

Abstract The growing interest for using the natural refrigerant carbon dioxide (CO2) in refrigeration and air-conditioning applications instead of HFC refrigerants, due to environmental concerns, has led to the development of an ultra high pressure tribometer (UHPT) specifically tailored for testing in CO2 environment. The existing research on tribology related to CO2 environment has focused on investigations at relatively low chamber pressures due to equipment restrictions. The UHPT is a unique tribometer that has been custom designed and manufactured to allow testing under CO2 refrigerant at environmental pressures comparable to those found in compressors. A special housing, which surrounds the tribological surfaces subject to testing, is capable of withstanding chamber pressures up to 13.8 MPa (2000 psi) and can be temperature controlled from 0°C to 100°C via a thermal control system. A multi-axis strain gauge force transducer measures the applied load, frictional forces, and moments during friction testing, and computer control permits different loading profiles. Using this machine, experiments were performed at a range of pressures between 1.4 MPa (200 psi) and 6.9 MPa (1000 psi) of CO2 refrigerant. The results suggest a slightly better tribological performance at higher pressures compared to lower pressures.

Tribological Study Comparing PAG and POE Lubricants Used in Air-Conditioning Compressors under the Presence of CO2

Polyalkylene glycol (PAG) and polyolester (POE) synthetic lubricants are good candidates for air-conditioning systems that work with alternative refrigerants such as carbon dioxide (CO2). Both synthetic lubricants are widely used in air-conditioning compressors and have been optimized for use with hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. However, it is still not clear which lubricant is more suitable for use in compressors operating with CO2 as a refrigerant. This study compares the performance of PAG and POE lubricants of the same viscosity (ISO VG 68) used in air-conditioning compressors. The materials used were Al390-T6 disks and hardened steel SAE 52100 pins. The tests were performed using a high pressure tribometer (pin-on-disk configuration) in the presence of CO2. The results showed that scuffing and wear resistance of Al390-T6 tested with PAG were superior compared to the samples tested with the POE lubricant. Chemical analysis using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that PAG tends to promote the formation of carbonate layers on the surface, leading to improvement in the tribological performance of the interface.

Tribological Behavior of CrN and Al-Cr-N Coatings

The tribological behavior of CrN and Al-Cr-N coatings prepared by twin electron-beam evaporation at 450°C was investigated. The composition, structure, mechanical and tribological properties of the coatings were determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) in combination with nanoindentation mechanical property measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and laboratory controlled ball-on-disc sliding experiments. It was found that all of the Al-Cr-N coatings exhibit higher hardness compared to CrN coatings. Also, the compositions of Al-Cr-N coatings with the lower Al content and lower Al/Cr ratios showed better tribological performance than the rest of the coatings.Copyright

Effect of Cu Content on the Tribological Performance of Cr-N Coatings at High Temperatures (840°C)

Cr-N and Cu-Cr-N coatings with Cu content between 3–65 at.%, Cu/Cr ratios in the 0.04–4.5 range and 21–27 at.% N, synthesized by twin e-beam Physical Vapor Deposition (EBPVD) at 450°C, were investigated. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in combination with nanoindentation mechanical property measurements and laboratory controlled ball-on-disc sliding experiments, it is shown that Cu-Cr-N coatings with low Cu content (3 at.%) possess sufficient wear resistance for high temperature demanding tribological applications.Copyright

Microstructure, Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Reactive Magnetron Sputtered Titanium Carbide Coatings

This study describes the correlation between the microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of Ti1−x Cx coatings (with x being in the range of 0–0.5), deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering from a Ti target in Ar/C2 H2 mixtures at ∼200 °C. The mechanical and tribological properties were found to strongly depend on the chemical composition and the microstructure present. Very dense structures and highest hardness and elastic modulus, combined with low wear rates, were observed for films with chemical composition close to TiC. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies showed that the coating deposited at high C2 H2 flow rates composed of randomly oriented TiC crystallites. Morphological investigations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicate that the morphology is strongly dependent on the carbon content of the coating. Coatings composition and bonding environment was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Both the mechanical properties and tribological performance of the coatings were found to be dependent on carbon content.Copyright

Tribological Studies of Compressor Surfaces in the Presence of Carbon Dioxide Under Extreme Environmental Pressure Conditions

The refrigeration industry has shown an inclination towards the use of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) as a refrigerant in some applications. While extensive thermodynamic studies exist, tribological studies with CO2 are limited and tribological testing has further been restricted to low environmental pressures up to 1.38 MPa (200 psi) due to limitations in equipment capabilities. In this work, experiments were performed using an Ultra High Pressure Tribometer (UHPT) that was custom designed and built for tribological testing of compressor contact interfaces at very high environmental pressures up to 13.8 MPa (2000 psi). These tests demonstrate the possibility of testing at very high pressures similar to the internal pressures of CO2 compressors.Copyright