DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF A SETUP FOR COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EMERGING REFRIGERANTSDESIGN AND SIMULATION OF A SETUP FOR COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EMERGING REFRIGERANTSDESIGN AND SIMULATION OF A SETUP FOR COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EMERGING REFRIGERANTS

A bench-scale test facility for the evaluation of alternative refrigerants allows the comprehensive comparison of low-GWP substitutes for R134a. The facility comprises a variable-displacement compressor, a water-cooled condensing unit, an electronically controlled expansion valve, and an adjustable thermal load evaporator. Identical testing procedures determine the properties of R134a, R1234yf, R1234ze(E), R513A, R450A, and R290 under identical conditions. The experimental campaign revealed that the comparison of performance characteristics of alternative refrigerants requires a standardized set of equipment, precise control and regulation of operating conditions, and systematic consideration of safety aspects, environmental concerns, and thermodynamic performance. Thermodynamic simulations allow the calculation of the cooling capacity, compressor power, coefficient of performance, pressure ratio, discharge pressure, exergy-related performance indicators, and total equivalent warming impact for each refrigerant. The operating parameters have the most significant impact on the system’s performance, including the condensing and evaporating temperatures, superheat levels at the evaporator’s outlet, and the thermophysical properties of the working fluid. A properly designed experimental facility combined with relevant computational procedures can help practitioners and researchers find the most optimal refrigerant from a proposed list before the experimental campaign or identify performance trade-offs affecting operational safety, efficiency, and climate-related concerns.

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