Experimental study of R152a and R32 to replace R134a in a domestic refrigerator

This paper presents an experimental study of R152a and R32, environment-friendly refrigerants with zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) and low global warming potential (GWP), to replace R134a in domestic refrigerator. A refrigerator designed and developed to work with R134a was tested, and its performance using R152a and R32 was evaluated and compared with its performance when R134a was used. The results obtained showed that the design temperature and pull-down time set by International Standard Organisation (ISO) for small refrigerator were achieved earlier using refrigerant R152a and R134a than using R32. The average coefficient of performance (COP) obtained using R152a is 4.7% higher than that of R134a while average COP of R32 is 8.5% lower than that of R134a. The system consumed less energy when R152a was used. The performance of R152a in the domestic refrigerator was constantly better than those of R134a and R32 throughout all the operating conditions, which shows that R152a can be used as replacement for R134a in domestic refrigerator.     

Experimental study of new refrigerant mixtures to replace R12 in domestic refrigerators

An experimental study on the replacement of R12 in domestic refrigerators by new hydrocarbon/hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant mixtures has been carried out. Parameters and factors, affecting the performance characteristics of these refrigerants, based on experimental data have been compared to those of R12. The results show that butane/propane/R134a mixtures provide excellent performance parameters, such as coefficient of performance of refrigerator, compression power, volumetric efficiency, condenser duty, compressor discharge pressure and temperature, relative to a 210 g charge of R12. In addition, the results support the possibility of using butane/propane/R134a mixtures as an alternative to R12 in domestic refrigerators, without the necessity of changing the compressor lubricating oil used with R12.     

混合工质R134a/R23替代R22的可行性研究

叙述了基于新型环保型混合制冷剂R134a/R23替代制冷剂R22的问题,以及通过REFPROP7.5,对混合工质R134a/R23从物性和热力学特性进行的理论计算分析,指出,由质量分数为70%的R134a和质量分数为30%的R23组成的混合制冷剂与R22性能最为接近,在变工况运行条件下,其COP值比R22高8%左右,其冷凝压力比同条件下用R22作为循环工质低21%～36%,理论上完全具有替代R22的可能性。     

Experimental investigation of R290/R600a mixture as an alternative to R134a in a domestic refrigerator

R134a is the most widely used refrigerant in domestic refrigerators. It must be phased out soon according to Kyoto protocol due to its high global warming potential (GWP) of 1300. In the present work, an experimental investigation has been made with hydrocarbon refrigerant mixture (composed of R290 and R600a in the ratio of 45.2:54.8 by weight) as an alternative to R134a in a 200 l single evaporator domestic refrigerator. Continuous running tests were performed under different ambient temperatures (24, 28, 32, 38 and 43 °C), while cycling running (ON/OFF) tests were carried out only at 32 °C ambient temperature. The results showed that the hydrocarbon mixture has lower values of energy consumption; pull down time and ON time ratio by about 11.1%, 11.6% and 13.2%, respectively, with 3.25–3.6% higher coefficient of performance (COP). The discharge temperature of hydrocarbon mixture was found to be 8.5 to 13.4 K lower than that of R134a. The overall performance has proved that the above hydrocarbon refrigerant mixture could be the best long term alternative to phase out R134a.     

Performance of alternative refrigerant R430A on domestic water purifiers

In this study, performance of R430A is examined numerically and experimentally in an effort to replace HFC134a used in refrigeration system of domestic water purifiers. Even though HFC134a is used predominantly in such a system these days, it needs to be phased out in near future in most of the developed countries due to its high global warming potential. To solve this problem, cycle simulation and experiments are carried out with a new refrigerant mixture of 76%R152a/24%R600a using actual water purifiers. This mixture is numbered and listed as R430A by ASHRAE recently. Test results show that the system performance is greatly influenced by the amount of charge due to the small internal volume of the refrigeration system in water purifiers. With the optimum amount of charge of 21–22 g, about 50% of HFC134a, the energy consumption of R430A is 13.4% lower than that of HFC134a. The compressor dome and discharge temperatures and condenser center temperature of R430A are very similar to those of HFC134a for the optimum charge. Overall, R430A, a new long term environmentally safe refrigerant, is a good alternative for HFC134a in domestic water purifiers requiring no major change in the system.     

Heat Transfer Characteristics of Flood-type Evaporator Using R22 and R134a for Fishing Vessels

ABSTRACT

Most of fishing vessels pour plain ice into fish storages to maintain freshness of catches, which causes varying storage temperatures and changes in the salinity, and damages in catches. In contrast, seawater cooling systems that directly chill the seawater in the storage provide seawater with a constant temperature and salinity. Furthermore, the application of a flood-type evaporator enables the size of the system to be reduced due to the enhanced heat transfer performance of the evaporator. This study conducts experimental research on the boiling heat transfer characteristics of flood-type evaporators under various operating conditions. The test section of the experiment consists of the flood-type evaporator including tubes made of three different materials and having two different shapes, and R134a and R22 are used. As a result, low-fin tubes were found to present a higher heat transfer coefficient than that of the plain tube. Aluminum-brass low-fin tubes exhibited relatively 4.5% higher heat transfer coefficient than that of copper-nickel low-fin tubes when R22 was used, and relatively 5.3% higher value when the R134a was used. When R22 was used with an aluminum-brass low-fin tube, the heat transfer coefficient was relatively 6.9% higher than that when using R134a.     

Comparative assessment of environment-friendly alternatives to R134a in domestic refrigerators

In the present work, the possibility of using R152a and hydrocarbon refrigerants (such as R290, R1270, R600a, and R600) as alternatives to R134a in domestic refrigerators has been assessed theoretically. The refrigerants are assessed over wider range condensing and evaporator temperatures. The assessment was done with standard parameters such as pressure ratio, volumetric cooling capacity (VCC), coefficient of performance (COP), compressor input power, compressor discharge temperature, and total equivalent warming impact (TEWI). The results obtained showed that pure hydrocarbon refrigerants are not suitable to be used as alternatives to R134a due to its mismatch in VCC. R152a has approximately the same VCC with about 9% higher COP and lower values of operating pressure and compressor input power. The discharge temperature of R152a was higher than that of R134a by about 14–26 K. TEWI of R152a was about 7% lower than that of R134a. The reported results proved that R152a is an energy-efficient and environment-friendly alternative to phase out R134a in domestic refrigerators.     

The refrigerant R1234yf in air conditioning systems

Experiments were conducted for a typical R134a compact European automotive air conditioning system equipped with an internally controlled variable displacement compressor, minichannel condenser, TXV, and minichannel evaporator. A “drop-in” R1234yf system was tested together with two modified R1234yf systems with the primary goal to document some laboratory results and their analyses which could prove useful in aiding manufacturers and researchers by indicating “minor” system modifications which could be implemented in existing air conditioning systems, with the aim to achieve with R1234yf similar capacity and efficiency as modern R134a systems. Since the experimental results indicate that, for a given cooling capacity, R1234yf systems present lower performance than the baseline R134a, numerical simulations were used to investigate the effects of “major” system modifications, such as, the use of an enhanced condenser and/or an enhanced evaporator.     

Investigation of refrigerating system with R12 refrigerant replacements

This paper deals with the influence of R12 working fluid replacements on energy efficiency and global warming expressed by values of Coefficient of Performance (COP) and Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI). Experimental investigations are presented which relate the use of refrigerants R134a, R401A, R409A, R22 and the mixture of R134a with R12 to the values of COP and TEWI of refrigerating system in comparison with R12 application. It is shown that the use of R134a, R401A and R409A refrigerants enables the increase of COP coefficient and significantly reduces the value of TEWI in comparison with R12 application.     

Simulation of a vapour-compression refrigeration cycles using HFC134A and CFC12

A performance comparison analysis of vapour-compression refrigeration systems using refrigerant HFC134a and CFC12 is presented. The analysis is based on computer simulation of actual cycles rather than the ideal cycles. The simulation models for HFC134a and CFC12 are developed on the basis of fluid properties and thermo-hydraulic characteristics obtained from available experimental data and/or correlations. Using the simulation model thus developed, system performance with HFC134a and CFC12 are examined. A comparison of the performance of HFC134a and CFC12 is presented using COP (and compressor power) as a criterion for the same cooling load. Results indicate that the COP for HFC134a is slightly (about 3%) lower than that for a CFC12 system. This means that the power requirement for a HFC134a system is slightly higher than that for CFC12 system for an identical cooling requirement. A comparison of these two systems from a thermodynamic point of view is also presented using exergy loss as a performance evaluation criterion. These results indicate that the HFC134a system is only slightly inferior to the CFC12 systems due to a higher (about 3%) exergy loss with HFC134a.     

Performance Evaluation of R134a/DMF-Based Vapor Absorption Refrigeration System

This article describes an experimental investigation to measure performances of a vapor absorption refrigeration system of 1 ton of refrigeration capacity employing tetrafluoro ethane (R134a)/dimethyl formamide (DMF). Plate heat exchangers are used as system components for evaporator, condenser, absorber, generator, and solution heat exchanger. The bubble absorption principle is employed in the absorber. Hot water is used as a heat source to supply heat to the generator. Effects of operating parameters such as generator, condenser, and evaporator temperatures on system performance are investigated. System performance was compared with theoretically simulated performance. It was found that circulation ratio is lower at high generator and evaporator temperatures, whereas it is higher at higher condenser temperatures. The coefficient of performance is higher at high generator and evaporator temperatures, whereas it is lower at higher condenser temperatures. Experimental results indicate that with addition of a rectifier as well as improvement of vapor separation in the generator storage tank, the R134a/DMF-based vapor absorption refrigeration system with plate heat exchangers could be very competitive for applications ranging from –10°C to 10°C, with heat source temperature in the range of 80°C to 90°C and with cooling water as coolant for the absorber and condenser in a temperature range of 20°C to 35°C.     

A zero ODP replacement for R12 in a centrifugal compressor: an experimental study using R134a

It is well believed that the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and their mixtures are the most promising candidates to substitute the conventional refrigerants, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and HCFCs which contain chlorine atoms in the molecule. This substitution is necessary for the harmful action of CFCs and of HCFCs toward atmospheric ozone layer damage because the disruption of ozone has been attributed to chlorine. For this reason they must be replaced by more environment‐friendly refrigerants, as the new family, designated as HFCs, that are chlorine free. Centrifugal compressors differ from positive displacement compressors in two major respects: high vapour volume flow for a given physical size and lower pressure ratio. They are particularly suited to applications where differences between evaporator and condenser temperatures are low. The preferred properties for fluids used in centrifugal compressors differ in certain important aspects from those preferred for fluids used in positive displacement units. In particular centrifugal compressors typically utilize fluids such as CFC114, CFC113, CFC12 and CFC11 for which many potential candidate replacements exist; however, for CFC12, HFC134a is the most suitable replacement. A comparison of the refrigerants HFC134a and CFC12 has been carried out and the results from the tests, using data from a refrigerating plant operating with a centrifugal compressor are reported. The chilled water cooling plant, with a refrigerating capacity of 6500 kW is made up of a centrifugal two‐stage compressor, a condenser linked to a cooling tower, an economizer and a flooded evaporator. Experimental results show that a lower coefficient of performance is found when R134a is used as substitute for R12; the difference between the COP values decreases rising the compression ratio. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

HCFC22替代物吸收制冷特性的实验研究

报道了吸收制冷系统中R22／DMF、R134a／DMF和R134a＋R32／DMF（R134a和R32分别以1∶1和3∶7摩尔比混合)等四种工质对的实验结果,并进行了比较和分析。结果表明,混合制冷工质对R134a＋R32（3∶7)／DMF在工作压力比R22高出20%的条件下,其系统性能与工质对R22／DMF相当。     

Exergy analysis of a compression–absorption cascade system for refrigeration

A compression–absorption cascade system for refrigeration is simulated with different working fluids. LiBr/H₂O is used in the absorption cycle and ammonium, R134a and carbon dioxide are evaluated in the compression cycle. First and second laws of thermodynamic analysis were analyzed with the aim of finding the best working fluid performance and appropriate operation parameters. Coefficient of performance, exergetic efficiency, irreversibility of the main components of the system, total irreversibility of the system and improvement potential were estimated for each one of the systems proposed. The results showed that the highest irreversibilities occurred in the cascade heat exchanger using carbon dioxide or ammonium, but this value decreased by using R134a. The highest value of coefficient of performance is observed by the R134a–LiBr/H₂O system when the minimum of irreversibility in the absorber and generator are reached within a range of generator temperature from 339 to 345 K. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of dilution effects of R134a and nitrogen on flammable hydrofluorocarbons

An experimental apparatus has been built to measure the flammability limits of combustible gases based on Chinese national standard GB/T 12474-90. The flammability limits of four binary mixtures of R161/R134a, R152a/R134a, R161/N2 and R152a/N2 were measured with this apparatus at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature. The fuel inertization points (FIP) of these mixtures can be found from the envelopes. Comparisons were made with the literature data; good agreement for most measurements was obtained. R134a was found to have a better dilution effect than nitrogen in reducing the flammability of hydrofluorocarbons.     

Performance and dynamic flammability of R32/134a mixtures in water-to-water heat pumps

Thermodynamic properties and refrigerating performance for the alternative R32/134a mixtures in water-to-water heat pumps have been analyzed. Also, its dynamic model and flammability during the leakage process have been investigated. The results show that R32/134a (30/70) is a good alternative for water-to-water heat pumps. But the possibility of burning and explosive accidents during the leakage process cannot be excluded.     

Thermodynamic analysis of a photovoltaic thermal system coupled with an organic Rankine cycle and a proton exchange membrane electrolysis cell

In this study, the performance of a Photovoltaic Thermal-Organic Rankine Cycle (PVT-ORC) system combined with a Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis Cell (PEMEC) is investigated. A combined numerical/theoretical model of the system is developed and used to evaluate the effect of various system design parameters. In addition, the effects of using water, ethylene glycol, and a mixture of water and ethylene glycol (50/50) as the working fluid of the PVT system and R134a, R410a, and R407c as the working fluid of the ORC cycle on the performance of the PVT-ORC-PEMEC system are studied. Based on the results, R134a and water demonstrated the best performance as the working fluid of the ORC and PVT systems. Moreover, the electrical efficiency of the combined PVT-ORC system is 15.65% higher than the electrical efficiency of the conventional PVT system. Also, the maximum hydrogen production rate of the proposed PVT-ORC-PEMEC system is calculated to be 1.70 mol/h.     

The performance of a triple pressure level absorption cycle (TPLAC) with working fluids based on the absorbent DMEU and the refrigerants R22, R32, R124, R125, R134a and R152a

This paper compares the performance of a single-stage triple pressure level (TPL) absorption cycle with different refrigerant–absorbent pairs. Four HFC refrigerants namely: R32, R125, R134a and R152a which are alternative to HCFC, such as R22 and R124, in combination with the absorbent dimethylethylenurea (DMEU) were considered. The highest coefficient of performance (COP) and the lowest circulation ratio (f), were found as a function of the generator temperature for a given evaporating and cooling water temperatures. The sensitivity of the COP and f for evaporator and cooling water temperatures changes at the maximum COP for the best three working fluids were also examined. It was obtained that the preferable pair is R124–DMEU and among working fluids based on HFC the preferable pair is the R125–DMEU.     

Applications of nanorefrigerant and nanolubricants in refrigeration,air-conditioning and heat pump systems: A review

Nanorefrigerants are a special type of nanofluids which are mixtures of nanoparticles and refrigerants and have a broad range of applications in diverse fields for instance refrigeration, air conditioning systems, and heat pumps. In this paper thermal–physical properties of nanoparticles suspended in refrigerant and lubricating oils of refrigerating systems were reviewed. The effects of nanolubricants on boiling and two phase flow phenomena are presented as well. Based on results available in the literatures, it has been found that nanorefrigerants have a much higher and strongly temperature-dependent thermal conductivity at very low particle concentrations than conventional refrigerant. This can be considered as one of the key parameters for enhanced performance for refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Because of its superior thermal performances, latest up to date literatures on this property have been summarized and presented in this paper as well. The results indicate that HFC134a and mineral oil with TiO₂ nanoparticles work normally and safely in the refrigerator with better performance. The energy consumption of the HFC134a refrigerant using mineral oil and nanoparticles mixture as lubricant saved 26.1% energy with 0.1% mass fraction TiO₂ nanoparticles compared to the HFC134a and POE oil system.     

Experimental investigation on the performance of ORC power system using zeotropic mixture R601a/R600a

An experimental study on the practical performance of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system using zeotropic mixture is performed by using a small scale ORC power generation experimental setup. R601a/R600a is selected as the working fluid. The effects of mixture composition, heat source temperature, and working fluid flow rate on the performance of ORC system are investigated. The experimental results indicate that the net power output first increases and then decreases as the R600a concentration increases. The optimal mixture composition with the maximum net power output is 0.6/0.4 (mass fraction) at the heat source temperature of 115°C. The net power output of R601a/R600a (0.6/0.4) is higher than that of R601a by 25%, indicating that the performance of ORC system can be clearly improved by using the zeotropic mixture. For a fixed working fluid flow rate, both net power output and thermal efficiency first decrease slowly and then drop sharply with the decrease of the heat source temperature. The appropriate superheat degree of R601a/R600a is in the range of 15 to 20°C when the heat source temperature has a small variation. In addition, the optimal working fluid volume flow rates yielding the maximum net power output are obtained for different compositions of R601a/R600a. The experimental results in the study can be of great significance for the design and operation of ORC power system using zeotropic mixture. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.