EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS WITH ECO-FRIENDLY REFRIGERANTS USING DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS TECHNIQUE Mathematical Modeling and Experimental Validation

In this paper mathematical models were developed using design of experiments technique for the performance prediction of refrigeration system parameters such as refrigerating capacity, power consumption, and coefficient of performance. The models developed were checked for their adequacy using F-test. The performances of vapor compression refrigeration system with different refrigerants R12, R134a, and R290/R600a were compared. The R290/R600a mixture showed 10.7-23.6% higher coefficient of performance than that with R12 and RI 34a and it was found that the hydrocarbon mixture with 68% propane and 32% iso-butane could be used as a substitute for R12 and R134a.