How Do Old Refrigerators Affect the Ozone Layer Essay Example for Free

How Do Old Refrigerators Affect the Ozone Layer EssayThe ozone layer prevents ultraviolet sunlight from reaching Earth. (The Ozone hole, 2012). Without the ozone layer, it would be much likely to get throw together cancer, eye damage, harm wildlife, reduce crop yields, and change the ocean food chain. The ozone is a molecule made up of three oxygen atoms. Ground-level ozone is the main agent of smog and is harmful to humans. Atmospheric ozone collects in the stratosphere, which is about nine to twenty-two miles above the surface of the Earth. It was discovered in 1985 that there was a hole in the ozone above Antarctica. CFCs, were constantly eroding our ozone layer. (Roach, 2010).In old refrigerators, ammonia suck is used to keep the refrigerator cool. Pure ammonia gas is extremely toxic to people and if a refrigerator containing it leaked, it would pose a threat. Switching to CFCs was a nontoxic replacement that depleted the ozone layer. Then they switched to a more enviro nmental friendly coolant. Although many refrigerators still use ammonia. (Brian Elliot, 2006).Refrigerators need five major components to keep cool. The compressor compresses the ammonia gas and the compressed gas heats up as its pressurized. The coils on the back of the refrigerator let the hot ammonia gas disperse its heat and the gas condenses into liquid at blue pressure. The high pressure ammonia liquid flows through the expansion valve. One side of the valve has high pressure ammonia liquid and the opposite side is a low pressure area because the compressor sucks gas out of that side.The liquid ammonia immediately boils and vaporizes with the temperature dropping to -27 degrees Fahrenheit which makes the inside of the fridge cold. The compressor sucks up the ammonia gas and the cycle repeats. (Brian Elliot, 2006)The coolant is trapped inside coils and makes a circuit through them and changes back and forth from a liquid to a gas.Ammonia gas does not strike the Ozone layer bu t it is highly toxic to humans. When they switched to CFCs, thats when the refrigerators added to the list of things depleting the Ozone Layer. Du Pont discovered this replacement in the 1930s. They are used in a build of industrial, commercial, and household applications. The CFCs were released into the atmosphere and went up into the stratosphere. In the 1970s, it was discovered that the CFCs in use are harmful to the Ozone Layer. The ultraviolet ray of light at the atmospheric altitude breaks down CFCs, freeing the chlorine. Under the proper conditions, this chlorine has the potential to destroy large amounts of ozone. As of the 1990s, they put a more environmental friendly coolant in refrigerators.