Abstract
Abstract
Considering the current EU regulations, the GWP limit for comercial refrigeration systems is 150 starting with 1st of January 2022. This study uses a selection software for condensing units to evaluate the options available on the UE market which can fulfill the GWP limit. For this purpose a theoretical comparison between R404A (past), R449A (present) and R744 (future) condensing units with a cooling power of 10kW is made. The COP in the range of ambient temperature from 0°C to +40°C is the main criterion evaluation. Size and weight are also evaluated as secondary criteria. The results of COP evaluation are similar with conclusions from other studies and confirm that R449A unit has better COP than R744 and R404A. Also the size of the unit in case of R744 is three times bigger than R449A unit. The main conclusion is that even if R744 has low GWP and fulfill the legislation requirment it has not good efficiency. Further studies should be made in order to find a good solution for small cooling capacities.