ESP Journal of Engineering & Technology Advancements |
© 2022 by ESP JETA |
Volume 2 Issue 4 |
Year of Publication : 2022 |
Authors : Ankitkumar Tejani, Jyoti Yadav, Vinay Toshniwal, Rashi Kandelwal |
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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.
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.
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Natural Refrigerants, Refrigeration Systems, Environmental Impact, Global Warming, Ozone Depletion.