Environmental effect evaluation of refrigerator cycle with life cycle climate performance

Abstract

In this study, a method to evaluate the environmental effects of household refrigerators is newly developed in terms of life cycle climate performance (LCCP). The energy consumption model of the refrigerator is developed with three types of typical single evaporator refrigerators. The operation ratio of the evaporators, which is critical for calculating the energy consumption of dual evaporator refrigerators, is determined using experimental results of serial, bypass, and parallel-circuit cycle refrigerators. The LCCP results show that the system performance and equipment manufacturing emissions are dominant factors in lifetime CO2 emissions. Therefore, energy- and material-related factors, such as refrigerator cycle options, refrigerator material, insulation, and power sources, are primarily investigated. For cycle options, CO2 emissions can be reduced by 14.7% using a two-stage cycle. For condenser materials, CO2 emissions can be reduced by 2% to 2.5% using aluminum instead of steel. For insulation, the total emissions can be reduced by up to 7.7% by applying vacuum insulation panels on each side of the refrigerator. When 20% renewable energy is supplied, the total emissions are expected to be reduced by 13% in the baseline, 19.9% in the parallel-circuit cycle, and 26% in the two-stage cycle.