Citation:

Ankitkumar Tejani, Jyoti Yadav, Vinay Toshniwal, Rashi Kandelwal, 2022. "Natural Refrigerants in the Future of Refrigeration: Strategies for Eco-Friendly Cooling Transitions", ESP Journal of Engineering & Technology Advancements, 2(4): 80-91.

Abstract:

The refrigeration industry is at a new crossroads as it struggles to find a new solution that could be more environmentally friendly, given the current environmental conditions. Such social issues like global warming and depletion of the ozone layer primarily result from synthetic refrigerants largely used by the industry, which place tremendous pressure on it at present. Historical refrigerants such as CFCs and HFCs, although efficient in cooling, are found to have adverse impacts on the environment with considerably large GWP and ODP. This has, in turn, led to a rising regulatory burden as well as a demand for solutions that will effectively provide cooling services to the fast-growing world without worsening the impact on the environment. Thus, natural refrigerants have become one of the solutions widely discussed in connection with these challenges. These substances include ammonia, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons, including propane and isobutane, which are preferable to synthetic gasses in several ways. Natural refrigerants are those which have low GWP and ODP which is much better than those of synthetic refrigerants. Also, they are often cheaper to operate since they use less energy than vapour compression systems, making refrigeration systems that use them environmentally friendly in the long run. Used in the refrigeration industry particularly fridges, air conditioning and other refrigeration uses, natural refrigerants have some drawbacks, however. Technical hurdles, such as flammability, toxicity, and the necessity to mount systems under relevant pressure limits, are the biggest hurdles to adoption. However, one has to analyze the monetary consequences associated with, for instance, the integration of natural refrigerants in new systems or upgrading of the current systems to incorporate natural refrigerants. For the above difficulties, integration requires a managed process that entails aspects such as technology, change in practices, and legislation. The following paper aims to discuss these issues by presenting the evaluation of the application of natural refrigerants for the further development of refrigeration systems. It will discuss the efficacy and feasibility of these refrigerants, looking at modern-day technologies and practical examples of the economic sector that adopts them. The paper will also describe the measures required to overcome the difficulties inherent in natural refrigerants and proceed with the discussion of the possibilities of using these substances as efficient components of contemporary coolants to provide environmentally friendly and efficient solutions. With this in mind, the paper seeks to present the current debate on sustainable refrigeration with insights that will benefit industry participants, policymakers and academicians.

References:

[1] Bolaji, B. O., & Huan, Z. (2012). Comparative analysis of the performance of hydrocarbon refrigerants with R22 in a sub-cooling heat exchanger refrigeration system. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy, 226(7), 882-891.
[2] Lorentzen, G., & Pettersen, J. (1993). A new, efficient and environmentally benign system for car air-conditioning. International Journal of Refrigeration, 16(1), 4-12.
[3] Maclaine-cross, I. L., & Leonardi, E. (1997). Why Hydrocarbons Save Energy. International Journal of Refrigeration, 20(4), 235-241.
[4] Tassou, S. A., & Ge, Y. T. (2010). Energy consumption and conservation in food retailing. Applied Thermal Engineering, 31(1), 147-156.
[5] Granryd, E. (2001). Hydrocarbons as refrigerants – An overview. International Journal of Refrigeration, 24(1), 15-24.
[6] Wu, J., Fang, X., Xu, W., Wan, D., Shi, Y., Su, S., ... & Zhang, J. (2013). Chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and hydrofluorocarbons in the atmosphere of four Chinese cities. Atmospheric Environment, 75, 83-91.
[7] Mota-Babiloni, A., Makhnatch, P., & Khodabandeh, R. (2017). Recent investigations in HFCs substitution with lower GWP synthetic alternatives: Focus on energetic performance and environmental impact. International Journal of Refrigeration, 82, 288-301.
[8] Simmonds, P. G., Rigby, M., McCulloch, A., O’Doherty, S., Young, D., Mühle, J., & Prinn, R. G. (2017). Changing trends and emissions of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and their hydrofluorocarbon (HFCs) replacements. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 17(7), 4641-4655.
[9] Seidel, S., Ye, J., Andersen, S. O., & Hillbrand, A. (2016). Not-in-kind alternatives to high global warming HFCs. Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES). https://www. c2es. org/publications/not-kind-alternatives-high-global-warming-hfcs.
[10] Bahrami, M., Pourfayaz, F., & Kasaeian, A. (2022). Low global warming potential (GWP) working fluids (WFs) for Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) applications. Energy Reports, 8, 2976-2988.
[11] Rasti, M., Aghamiri, S., & Hatamipour, M. S. (2013). Energy efficiency enhancement of a domestic refrigerator using R436A and R600a as alternative refrigerants to R134a. International journal of thermal sciences, 74, 86-94.
[12] Purser, D. (2001). Toxicity of fire retardants in relation to life safety and environmental hazards. Fire retardant materials, 69-127.
[13] Machiele, P. A. (1987). Flammability and toxicity tradeoffs with methanol fuels. SAE transactions, 344-356.
[14] Kasaeian, A., Hosseini, S. M., Sheikhpour, M., Mahian, O., Yan, W. M., & Wongwises, S. (2018). Applications of eco-friendly refrigerants and nanorefrigerants: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 96, 91-99.
[15] Sarbu, I. (2014). A review on substitution strategy of non-ecological refrigerants from vapour compression-based refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump systems. International Journal of Refrigeration, 46, 123-141.
[16] Calm, J. M. (2008). The next generation of refrigerants–Historical review, considerations, and outlook. international Journal of Refrigeration, 31(7), 1123-1133.
[17] Duarte, M. V., Pires, L. C., Silva, P. D. D., & Gaspar, P. D. (2017). Current and future trends of refrigerants development. Agri-Food Supply Chain Management: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice, 474-524.
[18] Schilling, N. (2013). Surveys and interviews. Research methods in linguistics, 96.
[19] Kosmadakis, G., Arpagaus, C., Neofytou, P., & Bertsch, S. (2020). Techno-economic analysis of high-temperature heat pumps with low-global warming potential refrigerants for upgrading waste heat up to 150° C. Energy Conversion and Management, 226, 113488.
[20] Uddin, K., & Saha, B. B. (2022). An overview of environment-friendly refrigerants for domestic air conditioning applications. Energies, 15(21), 8082.
[21] Mahlia, T. M. I., Razak, H. A., & Nursahida, M. A. (2011). Life cycle cost analysis and payback period of lighting retrofit at the University of Malaya. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 15(2), 1125-1132.
[22] Cecchinato, L., Corradi, M., & Minetto, S. (2012). Energy performance of supermarket refrigeration and air conditioning integrated systems working with natural refrigerants. Applied thermal engineering, 48, 378-391.
[23] Li, Y., Nian, V., Li, H., Liu, S., & Wang, Y. (2021). A life cycle analysis techno-economic assessment framework for evaluating future technology pathways–The residential air-conditioning example. Applied Energy, 291, 116750.
[24] Cavallini, A., & Zilio, C. (2007). Carbon dioxide as a natural refrigerant. International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies, 2(3), 225-249.
[25] Getu, M., Mahadzir, S., Long, N. V. D., & Lee, M. (2013). Techno-economic analysis of potential natural gas liquid (NGL) recovery processes under variations of feed compositions. Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 91(7), 1272-1283.
[26] Roy, Z., & Halder, G. (2020). Replacement of halogenated refrigerants towards sustainable cooling system: A review. Chemical Engineering Journal Advances, 3, 100027.
[27] Ankitkumar Tejani, 2021. "Assessing the Efficiency of Heat Pumps in Cold Climates: A Study Focused on Performance Metrics", ESP Journal of Engineering & Technology Advancements 1(1): 47-56.
[28] Ankitkumar Tejani, 2021. "Integrating Energy-Efficient HVAC Systems into Historical Buildings: Challenges and Solutions for Balancing Preservation and Modernization", ESP Journal of Engineering & Technology Advancements 1(1): 83-97.
[29] Ankitkumar Tejani, Jyoti Yadav, Vinay Toshniwal, Rashi Kandelwal, 2021. "Detailed Cost-Benefit Analysis of Geothermal HVAC Systems for Residential Applications: Assessing Economic and Performance Factors", ESP Journal of Engineering & Technology Advancements, 1(2): 101-115.
[30] Ankitkumar Tejani, Jyoti Yadav, Vinay Toshniwal, Harsha Gajjar, 2022. "Achieving Net-Zero Energy Buildings: The Strategic Role of HVAC Systems in Design and Implementation", ESP Journal of Engineering & Technology Advancements, 2(1): 39-55.
[31] Ankitkumar Tejani, Harsh Gajjar, Vinay Toshniwal, Rashi Kandelwal, 2022. "The Impact of Low-GWP Refrigerants on Environmental Sustainability: An Examination of Recent Advances in Refrigeration Systems" ESP Journal of Engineering & Technology Advancements 2(2): 62-77.

Keywords:

Natural Refrigerants, Refrigeration Systems, Environmental Impact, Global Warming, Ozone Depletion.