An experimental study on the performance of air conditioning system using R-134a And MC-134 refrigerant in D8R caterpillar units

Gunawan Gunawan; Puji Saksono; Jainal Abidin; Chalermpol Plengsa-ard

doi:10.21831/jeatech.v3i1.48823

An experimental study on the performance of air conditioning system using R-134a And MC-134 refrigerant in D8R caterpillar units

Gunawan Gunawan, Balikpapan University, Indonesia
Puji Saksono, Balikpapan University, Indonesia
Jainal Abidin, Balikpapan University, Indonesia
Chalermpol Plengsa-ard, Kasetsart University, Thailand

10.21831/jeatech.v3i1.48823

Abstract

Refrigerant is a crucial cooling component for the refrigeration cycle. In heavy equipment, the cooling system still relies on the R-134a unit with many weaknesses, including global warming effects and other air conditioning system problems. An alternative substitute for R-134a has been found, i.e., a hydrocarbon refrigerant or MC-134. This product has several advantages compared to R-134a, especially its environmentally friendly aspect. It does not contribute to the damage of the ozone layer and is completed with good physical characteristics and thermodynamic properties. Overall, it has better performance than R-134a, proven on the Nissan Evalia unit. This study aimed at testing heavy equipment, especially the D8R caterpillar unit because limited studies discuss heavy equipment regarding its MC-134performance. This research was carried out at the Petrosea Ltd workshop. The research was done through experimental methods. The first stage was retrofitting R-134a with MC-134 on the D8R caterpillar unit. The data collection was conducted ten times with an interval of 3 minutes. The second step WAS using MC-134 and taking the same data as the first step. The compressor work on the MC-134 increased by 145.96% compared to R-134a. The result of the study showed that the heat energy released by the condenser using MC-134 increased by 157.833%. 161.625% for the refrigeration effect, and 5.21% of The COP value, respectively, compared to R-134a.

Keywords

refrigerant;retrofit cooling system;air-conditioning system

Full Text:

PDF

References

W. C. Whitman, W. M. Johnson, J. A. Tomczyk, and E. Silberstein, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Technology, Seventh Ed. Delmar: Cengage Learning, 2013.

J. Wang et al., “Potential reduction in emissions after replacement of automobile air conditioning refrigerants in China,” Energy Reports, vol. 8, pp. 141–151, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.egyr.2022.05.053.

S. Daviran, A. Kasaeian, S. Golzari, O. Mahian, S. Nasirivatan, and S. Wongwises, “A comparative study on the performance of HFO-1234yf and HFC-134a as an alternative in automotive air conditioning systems,” Appl. Therm. Eng., vol. 110, pp. 1091–1100, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2016.09.034.

X. Chen, K. Liang, Z. Li, Y. Zhao, J. Xu, and H. Jiang, “Experimental assessment of alternative low global warming potential refrigerants for automotive air conditioners application,” Case Stud. Therm. Eng., vol. 22, no. August, p. 100800, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.csite.2020.100800.

C. P. Aurora, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Third Edit. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Ltd., 2009.

G. Poongavanam, V. Sivalingam, R. Prabakaran, M. Salman, and S. C. Kim, “Selection of the best refrigerant for replacing R134a in automobile air conditioning system using different MCDM methods: A comparative study,” Case Stud. Therm. Eng., vol. 27, no. April, p. 101344, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.csite.2021.101344.

Gaurav and R. Kumar, “Sustainability of Alternative Material of R-134a in Mobile Air-conditioning System: A Review,” Mater. Today Proc., vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 112–118, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.matpr.2017.01.003.

F. Normaliaty, “Musicool Sebagai Pengganti Bahan Refrigeran Sintesis Pada Pendingin Ruangan,” TEKNO, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 77–86, 2014.

O. R. Juwantoro, “Analisis Uji Perbandingan Performansi Mobile Air Conditioning Menggunakan Hidrokarbon dan R134A Pada Unit Nissan Evalia,” Universitas Balikpapan, Indonesia, 2018.

A. Aziz and Y. Rosa, “Performansi Sistem Refrigerasi Hibrida Perangkat Pengkondisian Udara Menggunakan Refrigeran Hidrokarbon Subsitusi R-22,” J. Tek. Mesin, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 11–16, 2010.

H. Sihombing and Budiarto, “Analisis Uji Perbandingan Performansi Mobile Air Conditioning Menggunakan Hidrokarbon Dan R-134a Pada Unit Nissan Evalia,” TEKINFO J. Penelit. Tek. dan Inform., vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 164–173, 2009, [Online]. Available: http://103.78.9.46/index.php/ti/article/view/376.

İ. Atmaca, A. Şenol, and A. Çağlar, “Performance testing and optimization of a split-type air conditioner with evaporatively-cooled condenser,” Eng. Sci. Technol. an Int. J., vol. 32, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.jestch.2021.09.010.

S. Vashisht and D. Rakshit, “Recent advances and sustainable solutions in automobile air conditioning systems,” J. Clean. Prod., vol. 329, no. November, p. 129754, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129754.

H. Yan, Y. Xia, and S. Deng, “Simulation study on a three-evaporator air conditioning system for simultaneous indoor air temperature and humidity control,” Appl. Energy, vol. 207, pp. 294–304, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.05.125.

Z. Yang et al., “Comprehensive test of ultra-efficient air conditioner with smart evaporative cooling ventilation and photovoltaic,” Energy Convers. Manag., vol. 254, no. September 2021, p. 115267, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.enconman.2022.115267.

M. C. Constantino and F. T. Kanizawa, “Evaluation of pressure drop effect on COP of single-stage vapor compression refrigeration cycles,” Therm. Sci. Eng. Prog., vol. 28, no. July 2021, p. 101048, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.tsep.2021.101048.

A. Kodal, B. Sahin, and T. Yilmaz, “Effects of internal irreversibility and heat leakage on the finite time thermoeconomic performance of refrigerators and heat pumps,” Energy Convers. Manag., vol. 41, no. 6, pp. 607–619, 2000, doi: 10.1016/S0196-8904(99)00129-6.

S. Göktun, “Optimization of irreversible solar assisted ejector-vapor compression cascaded systems,” Energy Convers. Manag., vol. 41, no. 6, pp. 625–631, 2000, doi: 10.1016/S0196-8904(99)00110-7.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21831/jeatech.v3i1.48823