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HVAC systems with low global warming potential refrigerants: a case study.

Number: 2144

Author(s) : BAHEL V., RAJENDRAN R., BUTLER B., WELCH D.

Summary

objective of this case study is three-fold: (1) identify promising alternative refrigerants with lower global warming potential (GWP); (2) among those, select refrigerant(s) that could be “drop-in” replacements for R-410A and would not require significant system redesign or compressor changes — with the exception of minimal changes such as lubricating fluid and expansion valves; (3) evaluate the impact of another easy-to-implement option: replacing lower- efficiency, permanently split capacitor (PSC) condenser fans and evaporator blower motors with electronically commutated motors (ECM) for additional system efficiency improvements. This study leverages the steady-state heat pump design model (HPDM) developed by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to demonstrate three key findings: (1) two popular refrigerant replacement candidates with a GWP less than 750, R-32 and R-454B; both have system performance equal to or better than R-410A; (2) the lower-GWP refrigerant options with a GWP below 300 all underperform compared to R-410A; however, heat exchanger optimization may improve system performance; (3) using an ECM instead of a PSC evaporator blower motor increased system seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) performance ~8% for all refrigerants evaluated.

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Pages: 9

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Details

  • Original title: HVAC systems with low global warming potential refrigerants: a case study.
  • Record ID : 30028418
  • Languages: English
  • Source: 2021 Purdue Conferences. 18th International Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Conference at Purdue.
  • Publication date: 2021/05
  • Document available for consultation in the library of the IIR headquarters only.

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