Duffman1013

Sep 18 2009, 11:58 AM

Quick note, guys. I'm a NATE certified HVAC technician. Freon is R-22, and byproducts of combustion can include phosgene gas, but it's interesting to note that refrigerant (except for certain blends) are heavier than air and displace oxygen. No refrigerant except propane is actually flammable on it's own. The types of refrigerant used in WTC7 would probably include R-12 and R-22, however large buildings don't use decentralized climate control because of the issues of amount of refrigerant and the possibility of leaks. They usually use cooling "towers" to chill water and send that water to verious points in the building, and steam or hot water to heat the buildings. But the displacement of oxygen by refrigerant would be counterproductive to explosives, mostly because it limits the amount of free oxygen to combust, spontaniously or controlled. ;-)

Quote:

 

FREON



Huge underground tanks held more than 200,000 pounds of Freon stored to cool the seven buildings of the WTC complex. This had been the largest air-conditioning system in the country.

OSHA personnel were concerned that workers entering areas below grade could be exposed to Freon gas, a known, heavier-than-air, invisible killer. After a leaking tank was discovered, agency staff and the site construction manager carried out special sampling for months until all the tanks were uncovered and safely removed.

http://www.osha.gov/Publications/WTC/dangerous_worksite.html