A thermodynamic analysis of refrigerants: Possibilities and tradeoffs for Low-GWP refrigerants

Published

October 26, 2013

Author(s)

Mark O. McLinden, Andrei F. Kazakov, J. Steven Brown, Piotr A. Domanski, Jae H. Heo

Abstract

We explore the possibilities for refrigerants having low global warming potential (GWP) using two distinct, but complimentary, approaches. We evaluate the effect of a refrigerant's fundamental thermodynamic parameters on its performance in the simple vapor compression cycle and several variations on the basic cycle; this defines the limits of what is thermodynamically possible for a refrigerant. The analysis employs evolutionary algorithms, and it identifies the critical temperature, critical pressure, and ideal-gas heat capacity as the most significant fluid parameters. In the second approach, we examine more than 56 000 chemical compounds from a public domain database of chemical structures. A subset of about 1200 candidate fluids is identified by applying screening criteria to estimates for GWP, flammability, stability, toxicity, and critical temperature. The fluids with critical temperatures below 400 K (i.e., those which could be used in current equipment with minor modifications), are dominated by halogenated olefins.

Citation

International Journal of Refrigeration

Volume

38

Pub Type

Journals

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DOI Link

Keywords

low GWP refrigerant: global warming potential: vapor compression cycle, thermodynamic properties, optimization

Citation

McLinden, M. , Kazakov, A. , , J. , Domanski, P. and Heo, J. (2013), A thermodynamic analysis of refrigerants: Possibilities and tradeoffs for Low-GWP refrigerants, International Journal of Refrigeration, [online], https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2013.09.032 (Accessed April 24, 2024)