Study of domestic refrigerator system with R-134a and blends of HC R290/600a

In domestic refrigerators and refrigeration systems, the most widely used refrigerant is R134a. It must be phased out soon according to Kyoto protocol due to its high Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 1300. Hydrocarbon mixture (HCM) is an alternative refrigerant for Hydro Fluorocarbon (HFC) and Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) compounds due to their lower GWP and zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP). The impact on the environment is also reduced due to the usage of hydrocarbon mixture in different mass ratios. In the present work, an experimental investigation has been made with a hydrocarbon refrigerant mixture composed of R290 (Propane) and R600a (Isobutane) as an alternative to R134a in a single evaporator domestic refrigerator. The primary object of the proposed work is to evaluate the performance parameters like compressor power consumption, Discharge temperature, Refrigeration effect, Coefficient of performance (COP), cycle efficiency and Ton of Refrigeration with an optimized mixture of R290 and R600a refrigerant and compare it with the performance of R 134a refrigerant. The investigation aims to find out the optimized blending mixture of R290 and R600a refrigerant and validate it towards REFPROP software. The hermetically sealed compressor (Capacity 1/4 T) to be used to analyze the performance of the refrigeration cycle. From the comparative analysis of both refrigerants, it was found that hydrocarbon blend of R-290 and R-600a in 30%-70% on a mass basis given a better performance than R-134a refrigerant.