Experimental Analysis of the Performance of the Eco-Friendly R510A and R600a Refrigerants in a Retrofitted Vapour Compression Refrigerating System

Halocarbon refrigerants have been scheduled for total phase out because they contributed significantly to the two major global environmental problems - ozone layer depletion and global warming.In this study, the performances of the environmentally friendly R510A and R600a in a retrofitted domestic refrigerating system were investigated experimentally and compared with the performance of R134a. The results obtained showed that R510A has the lowest discharge pressure with an average value of 13.4 % lower than that of R134a. The average pressure ratios of R510A and R600a were 16.91 and 12.17 %, respectively, lower than that of R134a.The Volumetric Cooling Capacity obtained for R510A was 5.34 % higher than that of R134a. R510A and R600a exhibited higher refrigerating effect and Coefficient of Performance (COP) than R134a.The average COPs for R510A and R600a were 22.26 and 3.06 %, respectively, higher than that of R134a. Generally, R510A and R600a performed better than R134a and they can be used as retrofit substitute refrigerants for R134a in the existing domestic refrigerators. The best performance was obtained from the use of R510A in the retrofitted system