Performance evaluation of alternative refrigerants for R134a in automotive air conditioning system

Abstract

Aiming to explore environmentally friendly working fluids replace R134a for automotive air conditioning applications, seven potential pure refrigerants were analyzed first in terms of safety, environmental characteristics, and cycle performances. It was found that the pure refrigerants have some defects when applied individually. However, using the principle of complementary advantages, the mixtures employed in automotive air conditioning can make up for the shortcomings existing in the pure refrigerants. On this basis, the thermophysical models of vapor‐liquid equilibrium, enthalpy, entropy, and critical properties of binary mixtures were established. Also, the properties and cycle performances of 14 blends were investigated, and the results indicated that the predicted models of vapor‐liquid equilibrium have high accuracy, where the average absolute relative deviations of pressures and the average absolute deviations of vapor‐phase mole fractions were less than 2% and 0.005, respectively. M1 (R13I1/R152a [30/70]) and M11 (R13I1/R290 [40.3/59.7]) showed superiorities in cycle performances and environmental and safety characteristics. Moreover, the operating pressures of which were close to that of R134a, and they were expected to become the substitutes for R134a in automotive air conditioners.

Exergy Analyses of Vehicles Air Conditioning Systems for Different Refrigerants

“…In the literature, studies on vehicle air conditioning have generally focused on improving driver comfort conditions, using different refrigerants, optimizing air conditioning elements and working conditions [4]. In addition to these studies, there are studies on refrigerants such as R-152a, R-430a, R-290, which can be an alternative to R-13a refrigerant in vehicle air conditioning systems [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Many studies have been conducted to determine the appropriate design of a bus air conditioner [12][13][14].…”

Experimental Study of an Air-Conditioning System in an Electric Vehicle with R1234yf

“…However, because it is most similar to R134a, the Specific Compressor Displacement can be used with minimal system modification. Dai et al [5][6][7] constructed a simulation model for a vehicle air-conditioning system and analyzed the COP, heat per unit volume, pressure ratio, and discharge temperature for R134a, its alternative refrigerants, and mixed refrigerants. The results of this study revealed that R13I1/R152a and R13I1/R290 mixed refrigerants were superior to R134a in terms of the environment and performance.…”