• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 2006

[ $CO_2$ ] and propane mixtures were chosen as promising alternative refrigerants and their performance potentials were evaluated experimentally in an air-conditioning system. Pure $CO_2$ and 85/15, 75/25 and 60/40 binary blends by the charged mass percentage of $CO_2/propane$ were selected as working fluids. The effect of the inlet temperature of the secondary fluids and degree of superheat on the cooling performance was tested and discussed. The charging amounts of refrigerants were adjusted to make the system show the maximum COP. Comparisons among different refrigerants were carried out on the same compressor speed basis for a given operating condition. In addition, the temperature gliding effect of zeotropic mixtures on the system performance were analyzed based on the drop-in test results.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.851-858
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• 2006

[ $CO_2$ ] and propane mixtures, which are environmentally benign, nontoxic, low in price, and compatible with materials and lubricants, were considered as promising alternative refrigerants. A fully instrumented air-conditioning system was developed for a precise performance evaluation of pure $CO_2$ and $CO_2/propane$ mixtures. In this paper, the effect of the charging amount and circulation concentration on the cooling performance of the system using $CO_2$ and propane mixtures was tested and discussed. Pure $CO_2$ and 85/15, 75/25 and 60/40 binary blends by the charged mass percentage of $CO_2/propane$ were selected as working fluids. An optimum charging amount was proposed as a parameter instead of the degree of subcooling, which can not be well defined in the transcritical cycle, to properly compare the performance between the transcritical and subcritical cycles.