Analysis of R454B as a Low-GWP Refrigerant Alternative for R410A in a Vapor-Injected Rotary Compressor

Greenhouse gases that cause global warming have a variety of sources. One of these sources with severe effects is leaks in refrigerant systems that use high Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants, such as R410A. To reduce the contribution of refrigerant systems to global warming, alternative, low-GWP refrigerants must be analyzed and tested in various conditions. This study presents an analysis of compressor performance using the slightly flammable, low-GWP refrigerant R454B compared against R410A. To enable this analysis, a vapor-injected rotary compressor was tested on R410A and R454B with power, mass flow rates, and discharge temperatures measured at a range of evaporation temperatures (10.0–28.9  \(^\circ \) C), condensation temperatures (23.9–54.4  \(^\circ \) C), suction superheats (2.8–16.7 K), and compressor speeds (30.0–97.6 Hz). In total, 28 test points were investigated with a one-factor-at-a-time design of experiments. In general, R454B performed better than R410A in heating and cooling modes, with increases in Coefficient Of Performances (COPs) by 4.40% and 4.32%, respectively.