Binary Refrigerant Blend Balancing Low GWP, Flammability, and Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current refrigerants face challenges such as high global warming potential, flammability, and energy inefficiency, limiting their use in larger refrigeration systems, and requiring changes to compressor designs or materials.
Innovation Solution
A binary refrigerant mixture of R-1234ze(E) and R-600 or R-600a, with specific weight percentages, classified as an A2 refrigerant, offering comparable energy efficiency to R-134a and reduced flammability, allowing use in larger systems without altering compressor designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If HFO refrigerants such as R-1234yf or R-1234ze are used, then flammability is reduced (classified as A2 refrigerants), but energy efficiency decreases compared to R-134a
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges HFO refrigerant (providing A2 safety classification) with hydrocarbon refrigerant (providing high energy efficiency). The hydrocarbon component compensates for the lower energy efficiency of pure HFO, while the HFO component ensures A2 classification. This synergistic combination achieves both reduced flammability and improved energy efficiency compared to using HFO alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite refrigerant composition with specific ratios of different chemical components (hydrocarbon and HFO). This composite approach allows the mixture to exhibit properties that are superior to individual components: the hydrocarbon enhances energy efficiency while the HFO provides safety classification, resulting in a composite refrigerant that outperforms both pure substances in certain aspects.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If carbon dioxide (R-744) based refrigerants are used, then global warming potential is reduced (GWP of 1), but system complexity increases (require different compressor designs, steel pipes, and higher operating pressures)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a refrigerant composition that can be used in existing vapor compression systems designed for conventional refrigerants like R-134a or R-600a. The binary mixture maintains compatibility with standard compressors, copper pipes, and system components, providing universality. This allows the system to achieve low GWP without requiring the extensive redesign needed for CO2 systems, thus reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a binary refrigerant mixture that can be used in single or dual evaporator refrigeration systems to provide for efficient cooling without the use of a high global warming potential (GWP) hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant such as R-134a and that is less flammable than a hydrocarbon refrigerant such as R-600 (n-butane) or R-600a (isobutane). Further, the binary refrigerant mixture can be classified as an A2 refrigerant in that it has a heat of combustion of less than 19 kilojoules per kilogram. In addition, the binary refrigerant mixture has a comparable energy efficiency when compared to R-134a and can be used in refrigeration systems designed for use with R-600 or R-600a refrigerants without having to change their design (i.e., without having to change the compressor design).