Performance and energy evaluation of R450A, R1234yf, R513A, R516A, R152A, and R1234ze(E) as alternatives to R134A in an air conditioner

Abstract

This study investigates six low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants R450A, R1234yf, R513A, R516A, R152A, and R1234ze(E) as potential drop-in alternatives for R134A in an optimized air conditioning system. The simulations were run at high ambient temperatures and showed highly accurate results with experimental ones. As a result, R1234ze(E) achieved the lowest discharge temperature (10.5% below R134A), while R450A and R513A have slightly lower discharge temperatures relative to R134A. While R152A increased cooling capacity by 7.8%, other alternatives exhibited reduced cooling capacities compared to R134A, with R1234ze(E) and R1234yf showing reductions of 21.8% and 12.3%, respectively. Power consumption is significantly lower for R1234ze(E) (15.4% reduction), while R450A and R516A demonstrated minimal COP reductions of 1.2% and 1.6%. Annual energy consumption analysis shows R152A with the highest energy use (4.9% above R134A) and R1234ze(E) with the lowest (15.4% below R134A). Additionally, Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI) analysis shows reductions in total emissions for R450A (4.5%), R513A (5.4%), and R1234yf (9.2%), while R1234ze(E) shows the highest reduction (18.2%). In conclusion, R152A, R450A, and R516A emerged as promising alternatives due to their comparable performance with R134A..