Energy Efficiency Improvements for Refrigeration Systems with Low-GWP Refrigerants

Due to the recent governmental regulations to limit the use of high GWP refrigerants, new lower GWP refrigerants are currently under evaluation by the industry. These new refrigerants exhibit promising thermal performance when compared to widely used refrigerants such as R404A. In this presentation, thermal properties and actual system performance data for non-flammable and mildly-flammable low-GWP refrigerants are discussed in details, showing energy efficiency and environmental benefits of using these new refrigerants in commercial refrigeration. In addition, changes in equipment design and control to further improve energy efficiency are explored, with focus on systems with moderate glide refrigerants.