Date of Award
12-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Mechanical and Civil Engineering
First Advisor
Hamidreza Najafi
Second Advisor
Darshan G. Pahinkar
Third Advisor
Pallav Ray
Fourth Advisor
Troy V. Nguyen
Abstract
The research examines how climate change affects vapor-compression refrigeration system performance through evaluations of R-410A and R-32 and R-1234yf refrigerants. The research evaluates how future climate temperature projections affect the Coefficient of Performance (COP) and total efficiency of single-stage and two-stage standard and two-stage cascade cycles. The research used climate data from the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to study fifteen U.S. cities across different ASHRAE climate zones during three time periods from 1995 to 2004 and 2045 to 2054 and 2085 to 2094. The system behavior under different condenser temperatures was modeled through MATLAB simulations which used CoolProp to determine thermodynamic properties. The research shows that system efficiency decreases in all system configurations throughout different locations when future climate temperatures rise.
The efficiency of Miami and Tampa hot-humid regions decreases at the highest rate but Port Angeles and Tacoma experience minimal performance degradation because of their cool and marine climate conditions. R-32 produced the highest average COP because of its excellent thermophysical characteristics followed by R-410A but R1234yf produced the lowest COP while having a lower Global Warming Potential of 4.
The two-stage cascade cycle configuration demonstrated superior efficiency and climate resistance in all studied conditions by delivering 10-15% better performance than the single-stage system.
The research demonstrates that refrigerant choice together with system design configuration determine how well a system will adapt to projected climate changes. The research establishes numerical guidelines for building climate-resistant refrigeration systems which unite operational excellence with environmental responsibility.
Recommended Citation
Alessa, Omar, "Impact of Climate Parameters on the Performance of Different Types of Refrigeration Systems" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 1603.
https://repository.fit.edu/etd/1603