Exergoeconomic performance comparison of R1234yf as a drop-in replacement for R134a in a domestic refrigerator

• Published in: International journal of refrigeration Vol. 100; pp. 113 - 123
• Main Authors: Rangel-Hernández, V.H., Belman-Flores, J.M., Rodríguez-Valderrama, D.A., Pardo-Cely, D., Rodríguez-Muñoz, A.P., Ramírez-Minguela, J.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2019; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Analyse exergo-économique; Cost analysis; Coût opérationnel; Domestic refrigerator; Environmental impact; Exergoeconomic analysis; Exergy; Operation cost; Optimisation; Optimization; R1234yf; Refrigeration; Refrigerators; Réfrigérateur domestique; Domestic refrigerator; R1234yf; Optimisation; Exergoeconomic analysis; Coût opérationnel; Analyse exergo-économique; Operation cost; Réfrigérateur domestique; Optimization
• ISSN: 0140-7007; 1879-2081
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2019.01.016

•Comparison of R134a and R1234yf is performed on an exergoeconomic basis.•An experimental installation of a domestic refrigerator is set up.•Unit exergy cost and exergoeconomic factor are useful as comparative indicators.•An optimization study is carried out for both refrigerants.•Domestic refrigerator operates more efficiently with R134a. The replacement of refrigerants in domestic refrigerators is nowadays one of the approaches used to enhance the performance and environmental impact of these systems. Theoretical and experimental research, mainly focused on energy or exergy analysis, is currently found in the literature, but only a few studies are focused on exergoeconomic approaches. Therefore, in order to include the overall costs of a domestic refrigerator, an exergoeconomic cost analysis is applied to an experimental installation. Exergoeconomic parameters such as the unit exergy cost (cp) and the exergoeconomic factor (f) are used as a comparative indicator of performance. Based on the unit exergy cost, the results show that R134a performs better than R1234yf at different operating conditions. The exergoeconomic factor presents higher values for R134a than for R1234yf, which implies less exergy destruction in the system. The optimization allows reducing the cost of the produced cold by 9.8% when using R134a and by 6.5% when using R1234yf.