Analysis of Automotive Air Conditioning System Performance with Alternative Refrigerants to R-134a

Abstract

Abstract This work analyzed the performance of the automotive air conditioning system, operating with several alternative refrigerants to R-134a. For this, a thermodynamic model of the automotive vapor compression cycle was implemented to determine the COP of the system, the refrigeration capacity, and the consumption of the compressor. The model considers the compressor rotation speed, ambient temperature, cabin temperature, air speed in the condenser, and volumetric airflow in the evaporator as operating parameters. The refrigerants chosen for the analysis were R-152a, R-1234yf, R-290, R-410A, and R-32. The simulation was carried out with climatic data from the city of Riobamba, and temperatures inside the cabin were measured experimentally. The study shows that the refrigerant R-152a has a COP 10% better than R-134a and could be an alternative for direct replacement of refrigerant. On the other hand, R-1234yf presented a COP 9% lower than that of R-134a, which requires adjustments in the sizing of components to provide the same cooling capacity as R-134a. Finally, R-290, R-410A, and R-32 refrigerants have lower performance and higher compressor consumption.

Keywords

• automotive air conditioning, vapor compression cycle, cop, cooling capacity, refrigerants.