Cycle performance study on R32/R125/R161 as an alternative refrigerant to R407C

This paper presents the new ternary non-azeotropic mixture of R32/R125/R161 as an alternative refrigerant to R407C. The physical properties of the ternary mixture are similar to those of R407C, and it is environmental friendly, that is, it has zero ozone-depletion potentials (ODP) and lower global warming potentials (GWP) than R407C. Theoretical cycle performances of R32/R125/R161 and R407C are calculated and analyzed firstly. Based on the theoretical study, experimental tests are performed on a vapor-compression refrigeration system with a rotor compressor which was originally designed for R407C (without any modifications to system components for R407C). Experimental results under different working conditions indicate that the pressure ratio and power consumption of the new refrigerant are lower than those of R407C, and its refrigerating capacity and coefficient of performance (COP) are superior to those of R407C, respectively, and its discharge temperature is slightly higher than that of R407C. Therefore, the new refrigerant R32/R125/R161 could be considered as a promising refrigerant to R407C.