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Critical Analysis of Replacements for R-410A in Heat Pump Applications...

by Zhenning Li, Samuel F Yana Motta, Bo Shen, Brian A Fricke, Hanlong Wan
Publication Type
Conference Paper
Journal Name
Purdue ePubs
Book Title
Proceedings of the 19th International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Conference at Purdue
Publication Date
Page Numbers
1 to 10
Issue
2565
Publisher Location
Indiana, United States of America
Conference Name
19th International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Conference at Purdue
Conference Location
West Lafayatte, Indiana, United States of America
Conference Sponsor
Purdue University
Conference Date
-

Using low-GWP refrigerants can reduce the Green House Gas (GHG) emission of HVAC systems. Research has shown that using heat exchangers with small diameter tubes is a promising solution to meet the performance goals of heat pump using low-GWP refrigerants due to reduced refrigerant charge, reduced flammable impact and environmental impact. However, application of small diameter tube requires in-depth component design optimization to make the new system adapt to low-GWP refrigerants.
In this paper, multi-objective optimizations using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm on a R-410A residential 5-ton air source heat pump is performed for improved system performance and reduced material cost. Five R-410A alternatives, i.e., R-32, R-454A, R-454B, R-454C and R-455A are investigated. R-455A and R-454C have GWP lower than 150. As a result of optimization, 12.4%-19.1% Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) improvement and up to 71% HXs material cost saving is achieved. Life Cycle Climate Performance (LCCP) analysis shows that optimized systems reduce total CO2 emission by 13%-33% depending on the choice of refrigerant and climate zone.
The optimal heat exchangers resulting from this research can fit into the original R-410A fan-coil units. The proposed heat pump design method establishes a production and installation path to produce cost-effective low-GWP heat pumps easily accepted by end users.