Natural refrigerants are favored by the future

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Reducing the harmful impact on the environment is a promising way to the development of low-temperature technology. According to the amendment to the Montreal Agreement, approved by the Russian Federation, the use of hydrofluorocarbons should be reduced by 85% by 2036. AIMS: To justify the use of hydrocarbons as refrigerants in terms of their effectiveness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Here, we have studied the losses of refrigeration plants at different temperature levels (refrigerant boiling points of 25 С, 18 С, and 13 С), while working with the refrigerants R134a, R404A, R1270, and R290 using the entropy-statistical method of thermodynamic analysis. RESULTS: Experimental results revealed that the natural refrigerants, R1270 and R290 have higher efficiency than the conventional refrigerants R134a and R404A. The values of the cooling coefficient under adiabatic compression are higher by 16.28%, 1.81%, and 1.14% compared to R404A, R1270, and R290, respectively, for installation with a boiling point of 13 C. Similarly, for installation with a boiling point of 18 C, these values are higher by 16.84%, 1.13%, and 0.58% compared to R404A, R1270, and R290, respectively. Furthermore, for installation with a boiling point of 25 C, the values of the cooling coefficient under adiabatic compression are higher by 18.53%, 0.8%, and 0.43% compared to R404A, R1270, and R290, respectively. In addition, the degree of thermodynamic perfection for R290 is higher by 27.99%, 19.2%, and 14.79% compared to R134a, R404A, and R1270, respectively, for a boiling point of 13 C. Similarly, for R290 and a boiling point of 18 C, it is higher by 21.25%, 14.71%, and 9.9% compared to R134a, R404A, and R1270, respectively.Furthermore, for R290 and a boiling point of 25 C, it is higher by 27.94%, 11.44%, and 3.61% compared to R134a, R404A, and R1270, respectively. In this study, data on the production of hydrocarbon refrigerants, in particular R1270 and R290, under the Russian Federation are presented. Moreover, quality indicators and the main areas of application for the same are provided here. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the analysis showed the prospects of using natural refrigerants (R1270 and R290) and allowed us to assess different ways to improve the refrigeration plants.