ABSTRACT
Since the discovery in the 1970s of the stratospheric ozone depletion and the role of chlorinated compounds in this harmful event, the world of refrigeration has undertaken a change process still under way. After the progressive substitution of chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons with nonchlorinated hydrofluorocarbons and natural fluids, the current environmental issue is the reduction of the direct and indirect impact on global warming. Low–global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants are the potential solution to this problem. The search for the most suitable fluids with this feature has started in the last years and is in full swing. Among other requirements, the knowledge of the thermodynamic properties of fluids is essential to select the most suitable working fluid for each application, properly design components and systems, and evaluate the performance of the fluid. Here, after a selection of the most promising low-GWP refrigerants among all the potential candidates, an analysis of some of the thermodynamic properties of the selected fluids is performed with the aim to properly address the identification of the most suitable fluids as substitutes for the current high-GWP refrigerants (in particular R404A, R410A, R134a, and R245fa).
