HFO-1234yf Performance in a Beverage Cooler

Abstract

HFO-1234yf is a low global warming potential refrigerant that has been selected as the preferred option to replace R-134a in automotive air conditioning systems. It was primarily chosen over carbon dioxide due to its higher energy efficiency and improved Life Cycle Climate Performance (LCCP) (SAE, 2009 and Little, 2002). It is also a close thermodynamic match to R-134a which results in fewer system modifications and potential for global implementation in auto a/c systems. The question arising given the success in automotive is whether HFO-1234yf can be used in other applications where R-134a is currently employed. In particular, vending machines and beverage coolers account for a substantial portion of R-134a use. There are over 10 million vending machines installed worldwide and a significant number of these are beverage coolers (WVA, 2010). This paper will explore the potential to use HFO-1234yf in a beverage cooler through design optimization and experimental system testing. Performance will be compared to an R-134a baseline and two systems optimized for carbon dioxide. Results will also be used in an LCCP analysis to evaluate overall environmental impact of the three options.