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Performance Assessment of R-454C, R-449A, and R-744 in Food Retail Refrigeration Systems

Author

Listed:
  • William Ferretto

    (Dipartimento di Energia, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milano, Italy)

  • Luca Molinaroli

    (Dipartimento di Energia, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milano, Italy)

  • Fabrizio Codella

    (Chemours Italy, 20864 Agrate Brianza, Italy)

Abstract

Reduced energy use and increased energy efficiency are essential for decarbonization and sustainable development. The food cold chain is a crucial infrastructure with high energy consumption and rising demand. A careful selection of technology used in food retail systems could result in long-term energy savings, functionality, ease of maintenance, and high energy efficiency. In this work, a comparison between the energy performance of three low-GWP refrigerants, namely, R-454C, R-449A, and R-744, is carried out with reference to an existing refrigerating system that serves a real supermarket. Energy usage and seasonal efficiency have been examined for three locations in Europe, representing mild and hot ambient temperatures. Results show that systems based on R-454C and R-449A perform significantly better than R-744 architectures, improving sCOP of up to +12% and +17%, respectively, with a simpler equipment design. This suggests that careful assessment is required to select the most appropriate refrigerant for each store size and climatic condition.

Suggested Citation

  • William Ferretto & Luca Molinaroli & Fabrizio Codella, 2025. "Performance Assessment of R-454C, R-449A, and R-744 in Food Retail Refrigeration Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-18, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:3:p:667-:d:1581080
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Min-Ju Jeon & Joon-Hyuk Lee, 2024. "Thermodynamic Comparative Analysis of Cascade Refrigeration System Pairing R744 with R404A, R448A, and R449A with Internal Heat Exchanger: Part 1—Coefficient of Performance Characteristics," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-23, September.
    2. Yu, Binbin & Yang, Jingye & Wang, Dandong & Shi, Junye & Chen, Jiangping, 2019. "An updated review of recent advances on modified technologies in transcritical CO2 refrigeration cycle," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    3. Min-Ju Jeon & Joon-Hyuk Lee, 2024. "Thermodynamic Comparative Analysis of Cascade Refrigeration System Pairing R744 with R404A, R448A and R449A with Internal Heat Exchanger: Part 2—Exergy Characteristics," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-23, September.
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