Energy, exergy, environmental, and economic (4E) analysis and selection of best refrigerant using TOPSIS method for industrial heat pumps

Abstract

• Eco-friendly refrigerants have been identified for heatpumps using TOPSIS method and 4E analysis. • Among eco-friendly alternatives, R455A is most suitable for temperatures up to 63°C and R454C up to 67 °C. • R290 has a better performance compared to synthetic refrigerants for the temperature range 68 – 77 °C. • Among refrigerants studied, R152A provides the best performance for the temperature ranges 78 °C - 92 °C. • Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI) instead of GWP is a more in regions with high emission factor like India. The global implementation of the Montreal Protocol has accelerated research in the last decade to develop low GWP refrigerants, and numerous low GWP refrigerants have been uncovered. A broad energy, exergy, environmental and economic (4E) analysis is required to know the overall benefits of the new low GWP refrigerants, especially in the context of heat pumps for industrial heating. In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyze the popular refrigerants based on 4E analysis, and the best refrigerants are selected based on the technique for order of preference by the similarity of ideal solution (TOPSIS). Total equivalent warming impact (TEWI) has been considered for environmental analysis. Fourteen refrigerants that include the popular hydrofluorocarbons, alkenes, and hydrocarbon refrigerants have been considered for the study. The condenser temperature was varied from 45 - 95 ℃. Considering the present emission factor of India, R407C, R1270, R290, R152a, and R1234ze(E) is found to be the best refrigerants for the condenser temperatures ranging from 45 – 65 ℃, 66 – 68 ℃, 69 – 77 ℃, 78 – 92 ℃, and 93 – 95 ℃, respectively. This paper will be a helpful guide for the industries to select the best refrigerant for their applications.