Performance assessment of R-454C, R-449A, and R-744 in food retail refrigeration systems

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.