Global Warming Potential of New Gaseous Refrigerants Used in Chillers in HVAC Systems

Sylwia Szczęśniak () and Łukasz Stefaniak ()
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Sylwia Szczęśniak: Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, 50377 Wrocław, Poland
Łukasz Stefaniak: Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, 50377 Wrocław, Poland

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 16, 1-20

Abstract: Due to the global warming and resulting problems, attention has been paid to greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere since the 1980s and 1990s. For this reason, the Montreal Protocol and the Kyoto Protocol have tightened regulations on the use of gaseous refrigerants in both HVAC systems and industrial refrigeration. Gradually, new generations of gaseous refrigerants, that theoretically have much less negative environmental impact than their predecessors, are introduced into the market. The key parameter describing environmental impact is the GWP index, which is most often defined on a time horizon of 100 years. The long-term use of new generations of gaseous refrigerants in HVAC systems reduces CO 2 emissions into the atmosphere; however, given that new generation gases often have a short lifetime, it seems that the adopted assessment may not be applicable. The aim of the article was to show how emissions of CO 2 equivalent to the atmosphere differs in the short and long time horizon. The article presents the results of calculations of equivalent CO 2 emissions to the atmosphere caused by the operation of compressor cooling devices used in HVAC systems, where cooling is done with the use of water or a water-glycol solution. The analysis was carried out for 28 commonly used devices on the world market. The analyzed devices work with refrigerants: R513A, R454B, R290, R1234ze, R32, R134a, R410A. The equivalent emissions values for GWP 100 and GWP 20 were analyzed in relation to the unit power of the devices depends on refrigerant mass and number of fans. The study showed that in the case of new generation refrigerants with a very short lifetime, the use of GWP 100 indicators is misleading and does not fully reflect the effects of environmental impact, especially in the area of refrigeration equipment application. The article shows that the unit value of the cooling load related to the number of fans or the unit would be helpful in assessing the environmental impact of a cooling device.

Keywords: Global Warming Potential (GWP); Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP); air cooling; air pollutant; CO 2 equivalent; climate change; sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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