Low GWP replacements for R404A in commercial refrigeration applications.

Due to the growing global concerns around the use of refrigerants with relatively high global warming potential, new working fluids with the positive attributes of both high thermal performance and low environmental impact are currently in development. These newly developed refrigerants show high levels of energy efficiency and significantly low global warming potential, minimizing the overall environmental impact. Some of these options are non flammable, and the flammable ones exhibit significantly lower flammability characteristics than the much more flammable hydrocarbons. This work discusses in detail the performance of these new refrigerants as replacements for R-404A in commercial refrigeration applications. Thermal properties as well as experimental results in representative systems and components are presented, showing the benefits of using these new working fluids.