Performance Evaluation of a Split Unit Air-Conditioner Retrofitted with Hydrocarbon Refrigerant (HC22)

Abstract

The performance evaluation of a small capacity split unit air-conditioner when retrofitted with hydrocarbon refrigerant (HC22) was presented in this paper. Unlike traditional hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant (HCFC22) which possess ozone depletion potential (ODP) and high global warming potential (GWP), the HC22 refrigerant has zero ODP and a GWP value less than 3. Experimental work was carried out in a controlled environment which mimics an office room, with surrounding temperature varied from 25°C, 30°C and 35°C to simulate the typical cooling loads in Malaysia. The performance of HC22 refrigerant was compared with that of HCFC22 at these temperatures. The results show that the coefficient of performance (COP) of HC22 is higher, ranging from 3.5% to about 11% in comparison to HC22. The observation during experiments also shows that a typical HCFC22 can be retrofitted without any issue. The COP values obtained were 6.03, 6.35 and 6.15 for HC22 and 5.71, 5.66 and 5.63 for HCFC22 respectively. It can be concluded from this study that HC22 can be retrofitted directly to a HCFC system but other issues such as refrigerant flammability and safety issues shall be taken into account.