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A comparative study on the environmental impact of supermarket refrigeration systems using low GWP refrigerants

Journal Article · · International Journal of Refrigeration
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Energy and Transportation Science Division
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Supermarket refrigeration systems have high environmental impact due to their large refrigerant charge and high leak rates. Consequently, the interest in using low GWP refrigerants such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and new refrigerant blends is increasing. In this study, an open-source Life Cycle Climate Performance (LCCP) framework is presented and used to compare the environmental impact of four supermarket refrigeration systems: a transcritical CO2 booster system, a cascade CO2/N-40 system, a combined secondary circuit with central DX N-40/L-40 system, and a baseline multiplex direct expansion system utilizing R-404A and N-40. The study is performed for different climates within the USA using EnergyPlus to simulate the systems' hourly performance. Finally, further analyses are presented such as parametric, sensitivity, and uncertainty analyses to study the impact of different system parameters on the LCCP.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Building Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Building Technologies Office (EE-5B); Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States). Integrated Systems Optimization Consortium (ISOC)
Contributing Organization:
Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1265576
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1245242
Journal Information:
International Journal of Refrigeration, Journal Name: International Journal of Refrigeration Vol. 56; ISSN 0140-7007
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (1)

GREEN-MAC-LCCP: A Tool for Assessing the Life Cycle Climate Performance of MAC Systems journal October 2010

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Exergy characteristics of R404A indirect refrigeration system using CO2 as a secondary refrigerant journal October 2018
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A Theoretical Comparative Study of CO2 Cascade Refrigeration Systems journal February 2019
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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Alternative refrigerant
Environmental impact
GWP
LCCP
Supermarket refrigeration