Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 9, 2026
07:26
Synthesis and Microdiffraction at Extreme Pressures and Temperatures
Published on: October 7, 2013
11.7K
LOW-GWP REFRIGERANTS FOR MEDIUM AND HIGH-PRESSURE APPLICATIONS
Piotr A Domanski1, Riccardo Brignoli1, J Steven Brown2
1Energy and Environment Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
Revue Internationale Du Froid
|June 12, 2018
Summary
Finding suitable low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants is challenging. Many options have trade-offs in efficiency, safety (flammability), and capacity, limiting ideal replacements for air-conditioning and refrigeration.
Area of Science:
- Thermodynamics and Fluid Dynamics
- Environmental Science
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Refrigerant selection requires balancing environmental impact (Global Warming Potential - GWP), safety, and performance.
- Previous research screened refrigerants based on thermodynamic properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the performance of low-GWP refrigerant alternatives for small and medium-sized cooling and heating systems.
- To assess the limitations of current low-GWP refrigerant options.
Main Methods:
- Screening a refrigerant database using environmental, chemical, and physical attributes.
- Utilizing cycle calculations based on thermodynamic properties.
- Employing a simulation model with transport properties and optimized heat exchangers for detailed performance assessment.
Main Results:
- Low-GWP refrigerant options are scarce, especially those matching the volumetric capacity of R 410A or R-404A.
- Identified low-GWP fluids with good Coefficient of Performance (COP) exhibit mild flammability.
- Refrigerant blends offer flexibility in balancing COP, capacity, flammability, and GWP.
Conclusions:
- The search for ideal, high-performing, low-GWP refrigerants with minimal drawbacks is unlikely.
- Detailed modeling is crucial for accurately assessing refrigerant performance in systems with forced-convection heat transfer.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Applications of Integration to Find Hydrostatic Pressure
95
Hydrostatic force is a fluid's total force at rest on a surface. For a horizontal surface submerged at a fixed depth, the pressure is constant and calculated as the product of fluid density, gravitational acceleration, and depth. In the case of a vertical dam wall submerged in water, this force is not evenly distributed due to the increasing pressure with depth. This variation arises from the cumulative weight of the water above each point. Integration is used to account for the continuous...
95
01:07Refrigerators and Heat Pumps
3.0K
Refrigerators or heat pumps are heat engines operating in a reverse direction. For a refrigerator, the focus is on removing heat from a specific area, whereas, for a heat pump, the focus is on dumping heat into one particular area. A refrigerator (or heat pump) absorbs heat Qc from the cold reservoir at Kelvin temperature Tc and discards heat Qh to the hot reservoir at Kelvin temperature Th, while work W is done on the engine’s working substance.
A household refrigerator removes heat from...
A household refrigerator removes heat from...
3.0K
02:34Vapor Pressure
41.0K
When a liquid vaporizes in a closed container, gas molecules cannot escape. As these gas phase molecules move randomly about, they will occasionally collide with the surface of the condensed phase, and in some cases, these collisions will result in the molecules re-entering the condensed phase. The change from the gas phase to the liquid is called condensation. When the rate of condensation becomes equal to the rate of vaporization, neither the amount of the liquid nor the amount of the vapor...
41.0K
02:57Definition and Measurement of Pressure: Atmospheric Pressure, Barometer, and Manometer
43.5K
Gas pressure is caused by force exerted by gas molecules colliding with the surfaces of objects. Although the force of each collision is very small, any surface of an appreciable area experiences a large number of collisions in a short time, which can result in high pressure.
43.5K
03:02Constant Pressure Calorimetry
97.8K
Calorimetry is a technique used to measure the amount of heat involved in a chemical or physical process or to measure the heat transferred to or from a substance. The heat is exchanged with a calibrated and insulated device called the calorimeter. Calorimetry experiments are based on the assumption that there is no heat exchange between the insulated calorimeter and the external environment. The well-insulated calorimeters prevent the transfer of heat between the calorimeter and its external...
97.8K
03:28Vapor Pressure Lowering
31.4K
The equilibrium vapor pressure of a liquid is the pressure exerted by its gaseous phase when vaporization and condensation are occurring at equal rates:
31.4K