Energy Efficiency and System Performance of R-454C, R-449A, and R-744 in Food Retail Refrigeration Systems: A Comparison

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, the layout of an existing store has been used to model the commercial refrigeration system for three Low GWP refrigerants: R-454C, R-449A, and R-744. Energy usage and seasonal efficiency have been examined for two 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 +8.5% and +13.6% respectively, with a simpler equipment design. This suggests that a careful assessment is required to select the most appropriate refrigerant for each store size and climatic condition.