REVIEW OF LIFE CYCLE CLIMATE PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

摘要

A holistic evaluation of the refrigerant life cycle is required to evaluate the true cost of a refrigeration unit and the most accurate and rigorous analysis to date is life cycle climate performance, which incorporates all aspects of a refrigerant's life cycle, from production to usage to disposal. This article presents a comprehensive review of current life cycle climate performance research for the five major contributors to direct and indirect refrigerant emissions: mobile air conditioning units, supermarket refrigeration systems, unitary heat pumps, and commercial chillers. Most research shows that the direct effects of refrigerant leakage throughout a systems lifecycle are vastly outweighed by the indirect effects due the energy consumed to operate the system. Increased research and development of more efficient compressors and secondary loop refrigerant systems, along with additional safety measures, will aid in the use of more flammable and/or toxic refrigerants, such as low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants, CO_2 ammonia, propane, and isobutane.