Comparative Carbon Footprint Assessment of commercial walk-in refrigeration systems under different use configurations

摘要: The design of refrigeration systems must strictly comply with the rules determined by increasingly stringent international regulations on use refrigerants. Regardless restrictions imposed, compliance best practices in ecodesign may provide competitive leverage market, given its sustainability advantages. replacement fluorinated gases latest generation hydrofluorocarbons (HFC)'s, or their complete ban, are considered necessary but not sufficient solutions for reducing environmental damage caused systems: refrigerant retrofitting include performance requisites, entail energy savings and generate a global benefit. In this paper impact associated life cycle two commercial walk-in cold rooms (for medium- low temperature food storage) is investigated using streamlined version Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology: Carbon Footprint (CFA). burden created evaluated analysing whole entity including unit refrigerant. adoption alternative refrigerants (i.e. R-404A, R-407F, R-410A) under different conditions room set point temperature, leakage rate) also discussed. CFA results used as indices final evaluation most sustainable configurations. analysis system demonstrates that use-phase contributes significantly to total impact, indirect emissions resulting from refrigerating electric consumption larger than those leakage. For low-temperature (LT) system, R-407F better R-404A minimises overall impact. Also medium-temperature (MT) introduces significant advantages, optimal choice between R-410A depends value operating rate. Particularly 0 °C rate 10%, determines performance. Instead [10, 13]% rates depending solution.