What types of acids are formed in the refrigeration and air conditioning systems?
Depending of the refrigerant and oil being used in the system two types of acids, organic acids (such as oleic acid), which are soluble in the oil (and do not vaporize) and therefore stay predominately in the liquid oil in the compressor oil sump and inorganic (mineral) acids (such as hydrochloric acid), which are only slightly soluble in the oil. The organic acids are significantly less corrosive and only found in ester based oil or in systems where a strong oxidizer and high temperatures are present. Therefore, organic acids are rarely if ever found in today’s systems in any appreciable concentration. Both inorganic and organic acids are corrosive. However, inorganic acids have higher dissociation constants, especially hydrochloric acid, making them strong and very reactive acids, while organic acids react much slower. In the case of mineral oils, elevated temperature causes the oil to ultimately break down and the ultimate products are carbon and hydrogen gas. Only in the presence o
