Experimental investigation on the performance and global environmental impact of a refrigeration system retrofitted with alternative refrigerants

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the drop-in process for HCFC-22 in a 5-ton refrigeration system. The original refrigerant was replaced by alternative halogenated refrigerants such as HFC-438A, HFC-404A, HFC-410A and HFC-32, as well as hydrocarbons HC-290 and HC-1270. The experimental facility was composed basically of a semi-hermetic reciprocating compressor, tube in tube heat exchangers and an electronic expansion valve. The tests were performed by just replacing the refrigerant, without changing any components, typically as in a drop-in process. The main parameters were varied to verify the range and performance of each refrigerant and then compared to the HCFC-22. Results showed that the natural refrigerants presented the best coefficient of performance and that results for HFCs, excepting the HFC-32, remained below those of HCFC-22. Regarding the environmental impact, using the parameter TEWI, the best results were reached with hydrocarbons; meanwhile, the refrigerant HFC-404A presented the highest environmental impact. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.