Applying refrigerant mixtures with thermal glide in cold climate air-source heat pumps

Heat pumps, as a means of achieving significant energy reductions, have attracted a great deal of attention for decades. However, the main challenge remains improving their performance in cold climates. This paper represents the first step of a larger research project for the implementation of the zeotropic refrigerant mixtures in order to increase the performance of residential air-source heat pumps in cold climates. A detailed screening heat pump model is developed and used to assess the performance of zeotropic refrigerant mixtures. A group of pure refrigerants are selected and their potential mixtures are studied. The performance of these mixtures is compared in order to find suitable zeotropic refrigerant mixtures for cold climate residential applications. The main goal of this paper is to illustrate the possibility of applying environmentally friendly zeotropic refrigerant mixtures in conventional heat pumps, with minimal changes in the components, in order to improve their performance. Crown Copyright (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.