Experimental study of R454B drop-in performance in a R410A liquid-to-water heat pump

Abstract

R410A is a widely used refrigerant in residential heat pumps. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) of refrigerant R410A is 1924 so lower GWP alternatives are being studied in the last years as potential replacements of R410A. One potential alternative is refrigerant R454B with a GWP equal to 466. This paper presents an experimental study of the R454B drop-in performance in a R410A liquid-towater heat pump. The main components of the heat pump are a scroll type compressor, two brazed plate heat exchangers (condenser and evaporator) and an electronic expansion valve. Experimental results for typical operating conditions of liquid-to-water heat pumps (EN 14511-2, 2013) are presented and discussed. From the experimental measurements, parameters such as the COP, heating power or compressor electric power consumption are obtained and compared between the two refrigerants. Results show that R454B might be an adequate drop-in refrigerant for R410A as it closely matches its performance.