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Nitrogen Vs Ammonia

The document provides three key reasons why ammonia is used instead of liquid nitrogen for cooling on the International Space Station: 1) Ammonia cycles between liquid and gas in a closed cooling system, requiring only energy input from solar panels to function. Liquid nitrogen would need to be continuously resupplied from Earth at great expense. 2) Ammonia conducts heat much more efficiently than nitrogen, which is important for heat exchange in a refrigeration system. It is also easier to liquefy, making the system more energy efficient. 3) A cost-benefit analysis likely determined that while liquid nitrogen could be used, ammonia was a better option given engineering considerations like its superior heat transfer properties and

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645 views1 page

Nitrogen Vs Ammonia

The document provides three key reasons why ammonia is used instead of liquid nitrogen for cooling on the International Space Station: 1) Ammonia cycles between liquid and gas in a closed cooling system, requiring only energy input from solar panels to function. Liquid nitrogen would need to be continuously resupplied from Earth at great expense. 2) Ammonia conducts heat much more efficiently than nitrogen, which is important for heat exchange in a refrigeration system. It is also easier to liquefy, making the system more energy efficient. 3) A cost-benefit analysis likely determined that while liquid nitrogen could be used, ammonia was a better option given engineering considerations like its superior heat transfer properties and

Uploaded by

dadangkoe
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Why does ISS use ammonia and not liquid

nitrogen for cooling?


I guess that they could store liquid nitrogen cause vacuum is essentially cold (if properly shielded from sun), and
ammonia is pretty toxic so, what is really the advantage of having ammonia rather than nitrogen on the
international space station?
Answer :
- iquid nitrogen a!sor!s heat as it evaporates, and would have to !e continuously replenished with supplies
shipped from the surface of the "arth at great expense#
$he ammonia is used as a refrigerant in a closed cooling system, %ust li&e your household refrigerator or air
conditioner (which pro!a!ly uses '-()*, a different chemical)# $he ammonia cycles !etween liquid and gaseous
state in a closed loop# All it needs is energy, which is supplied in or!it from the solar panels#
- Ammonia conducts heat much more than nitrogen# It is li&e comparing steel to styrofoam# $his is important
!ecause a refrigeration system is a heat exchange engine# As the gas is compressed it releases heat and as it
expands it a!sor!s heat# Ammonia is also easier to liquify than nitrogen, so there is less wor& involved for the
compressor# $his ma&es an ammonia refrigeration system more efficient in terms of energy# In fact, the first
refrigerators used ammonia instead of the chlorofluorocar!ons they do today# +ar!on dioxide a!sor!s and
releases heat even !etter, !ut liquid +,- has the tendency to solidify easily and this %ams the compressor# ,f
course water is the !est, !ut the vapor exists at a far higher temperature than people can tolerate, so this gas is
!est used in steam tur!ines#
- If you &new anything a!out the thermodynamics of cooling, then I don.t thin& you.d !e as&ing this question#I
do /,$ &now why they use /0) compared to the other refrigerant gasses they could have selected, possi!ly its
weight, !ut /- would have !een a very very poor choice#
0ow does refrigerant wor&? 1o you even &now? /o, you don.t#
0ere is a lin&###
-2-
Its not that /- can.t !e used# I assume that its use was considered and dismissed after a cost3ris&3!enefit
analysis#
-2-
I am amused !y your claim that vacuum is cold# 4hy don.t you loo& up the temperature?
-2-
,f course, vacuum doesn.t have a 5real5 temperature# 6ou should &now that# $he temperature of the gas and
plasma actually present in outer space is quite high# ,f course, if cooling is predominantly !y radiation, it may
swamp any heating in an extremely low pressure atmosphere# I guess that is what you meant# 7ut of course if its
shielded from the sun, then how efficient will radiative cooling !e?
Source(s):
http:33en#wi&ipedia#org3wi&i3'efrigerant###

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