See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/355476251

Performance Analysis of CO2/Natural Refrigerants for Cascade Refrigeration

System

Conference Paper · October 2021

CITATIONS READS

0 488

7 authors, including:

Vinod Laguri Kundan Kumar

Indian Institute of Science Indian Institute of Science
5 PUBLICATIONS 206 CITATIONS 3 PUBLICATIONS 27 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Pramod Kumar
Indian Institute of Science
106 PUBLICATIONS 996 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Kundan Kumar on 22 October 2021.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 4-6october, 2021

Performance Analysis of CO2/Natural Refrigerants for Cascade

Refrigeration System
V. Laguri1, K. Kumar1, *, P. Kumar1, R. P. Kamath2, M.B. Venkateswaran2,
N. K. Lokanadham2 A. Hafner3
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India
2
Danfoss Industries Private Limited, Kanchipuram 631604, India
3
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, 7034, Norway
*
Corresponding author: kundankuamr@iisc.ac.in

Abstract
The global increase in average ambient temperatures coupled with stringent environmental regulations
has turned the focus of researchers on natural working fluids such as CO2 (R744), hydrocarbons and
ammonia (R717) for use in the refrigeration industry. Among these, lower triple point temperature (-
56.6 °C) at a pressure level of 5.2 bar, and high vapor densities of CO2, makes it a favourable fluid for
deep-freezing applications. In the proposed cascade system, CO2 is used in the low temperature (LT)
cycle. Several combinations of natural fluids and HFC's comprising of R717, R600a, R290, R744,
R1234yf, R1234ze, R32 and R134a are analysed in the high temperature (HT) side of the cascade and
a comparative analysis of their performances is drawn. Cascade refrigeration systems consist of separate
circuits and compressors for the low and high-temperature cycles. System performance is analysed for
varying operating parameters with LT evaporator temperatures ranging from -50 to -27 oC, while the
HT cycle condensing temperature is in the range of 35 to 50 °C. The minimum temperature difference
between the refrigerants in the cascade condenser is assumed to be 3 K. The analysis reveals the
existence of optimum CO2 condensing temperature, uniquely associated with the LT evaporator and HT
condensing temperatures. The performance ratio (COP) of the R744/R717 cascade is found to be the
highest, followed by R744/R600a. The simple, non-optimized R744 two-stage system has a slightly
lower COP in this specified range of operating conditions.
Keywords: Ammonia, Cascade system, CO2, Deep-freezing, Natural refrigerants
1 . Introduction
Increasing global warming caused strict climate policies to force the phase-out of synthetic refrigerants
(HCFC's and HFC's) from the use in the refrigeration and Air-Conditioning industries. The properties
of natural refrigerants like R744, R717 and hydrocarbons turned the attention of researchers towards
them instead of search for new synthetic refrigerants alternative to HFC's [1] with unknown
environmental impacts including their decomposition- and by-products. The preservation of foods and
some particular medicine for a long time requires lower evaporating temperature ranges from -50 to -
30 °C in a refrigeration system [2]. Lower triple point temperature (-56.6 °C) at a 5.2 bar pressure of
R744, higher than the ambient pressure that prevents the ingress of air into the system and a smaller
(suction volume) compressor is required for a specified cooling capacity than other refrigerants because
of higher vapor density of R744. This makes R744 a favourable refrigerant for deep-freezing
applications. However, when heat has to be rejected towards air at higher ambient temperatures, the
pressure ratio across the single-stage compressor is very high, so it is advisable to use either a two-stage
compression system or cascade refrigeration system. A two-stage system operates with a single
refrigerant, while in the cascade system, two different vapor compression refrigeration cycles with
different working fluids are applied to produce the low-temperature cooling. The working fluid in both
cycles of the cascade system can be chosen according to the suitability of refrigerant's properties for
low and medium-temperature refrigeration applications [3]. The R717, hydrocarbons and all new low
Sixth International Conference on Polygeneration – ICP 2021

GWP HFCs are flammable in nature. Also, R717 is slightly toxic, however easy to detect a leak by
humans, in nature and requires a relatively larger compressor because of lower vapor density at a
required evaporator temperature compared to R744/CO2. So, these refrigeration systems (R717 and
hydrocarbons) need special attention during the pipe fitting and designing of components. There are
several studies done on the thermodynamic analysis of the two-stage cascade refrigeration systems. Lee
et al. [4] had done a thermodynamic analysis of the R744/R717 cascade refrigeration system to
determine the LT cycle optimum condensing temperature of R744. Dopazo et al.[1] did an experimental
analysis of the R744/R717 cascade refrigeration system for freezing applications for the evaporating
temperature range of -50 to -35 °C. Bingming [5] had done the experimental investigation of the
R744/R717 cascade refrigeration system to determine the effect of the operating parameters such as
evaporating temperature, the condensing temperature of LT cycle, the temperature difference in the
cascade heat exchanger and superheat degree. The performance of the cascade system is compared with
the two-stage R717 system and single-stage R717 system with or without economiser.
Nomenclature Subscripts
h specific enthalpy (kJ/kg) amb ambient
𝐼̇ irreversibility (kW) C condenser
𝑚̇ mass flow rate (kg/sec) comp compressor
p pressure cascade cascade-condenser
r pressure ratio cs cooling space
𝑄̇ heat transfer rate (kW) e evaporator
S specific entropy (kJ/kg K) is isentropic
T temperature (ºC) s swept
𝑊̇ power consumption (kW) v volumetric
x vapour quality 1-12 thermodynamic state points in the system
V volume
Greek symbols
PCHE printed circuit heat exchanger ɳ efficiency
𝜌 density (kg/m3)

The results reveal that the cascade system has the highest COP among all the systems for the evaporating
temperature below -40 °C. A. da Silva et al. [6] V. Adebayo et al. [7] had done a comparative analysis
of the cascade refrigeration system with R744 in LT cycle and R134a, R717 and hydrofluroethers are
used in the HT cycle as a working fluid. C. Sanz-Kock et al. [8] had done an experimental evaluation
of an R744/R134a cascade refrigeration at an evaporating temperature range of -40 to -30°C and
condensing temperature of 30 to 50 °C. The analysis mainly focussed on the performance of the
compressor, the temperature difference in the cascade heat exchanger, cooling capacity, COP. R.
Cabello et al. [9] replaced the high GWP refrigerant R134a with a low GWP refrigerant R152a
(flammable) in the HT cycle of the cascade refrigeration system. They found that there is no technical
problem arises, also, no notable energy improvement or deterioration is achieved for the evaporating
temperature of -40 to -30 °C and condensing temperature of 30 to 50 °C. A. Kilicarslan, M. Hosoz [10]
have done irreversibility analysis of a cascade refrigeration system using different refrigerant sets,
namely R152a/R23, R290/R23, R507/R23, R234a/R23, R717/R23 and R404a/R23. It is seen that the
irreversibility in the system decreases with increasing evaporator temperature and COP of the cascade
refrigeration system increases. Z. Sun et al. [11] have done energy and exergy analysis of low GWP
refrigerants. In this analysis, R23, R41 and R170 are used in the LT cycle. R32, R1234yf, R1234ze,
R161, R1270, R290 and R717 are used in the HT cycle of the cascade refrigerant system. The results
reveal that the largest exergy destruction occurs in the condenser. Therefore, the optimization works
need to be done on the condenser.
The primary objective of this paper is to identify the potential refrigerants for the cascade refrigeration
system that should be environment friendly, i.e., all environmental impacts must be known and in
addition enables the highest possible energy efficiency across the operation range. R744 is used in the
LT cycle of cascade refrigeration system in which R600a, R290, R1234yf, R1234ze, R32 and R134a

2 | Paper ID : 219
Sixth International Conference on Polygeneration – ICP 2021

(high GWP) are used in the HT cycle. However, a simple two-stage compression system with R744 is
taken into the evaluation to compare the performance of such a configuration as a benchmark.
Thermodynamic analysis has been done to understand the effect of evaporator temperature, cascade
condensing temperature and ambient temperature on the system performance. The irreversibility
analysis is also performed to identify the potential components that affect the performance of the
cascade refrigeration system. Component-wise irreversibility comparison has been done for all the
refrigerants that give the information about optimization of the components that improve the system
performance.
2 . System description
Figure 1 shows the schematics of the CO2 / natural refrigerants systems for low-temperature cooling
applications. Figure 1(a) shows the cascade refrigeration system that contains two separate vapour
compression refrigeration cycles. A low temperature (LT) cycle has CO2 as a working fluid because of
higher vapor pressure than atmospheric pressure and higher vapour density than other commonly used
refrigerants. The several natural and mainly flammable HFC refrigerants consist of R717, R600a, R290,
R1234yf, R1234ze, R32 and R134a are investigated individually in the high temperature (HT) cycle for
a comparative analysis of their performances. A common cascade heat exchanger connects both LT and
HT cycles. This cascade heat exchanger works as a condenser for the LT cycle and an evaporator for
the HT cycle. Therefore, the heat of compression of LT cycle is extracted by the HT cycle in the cascade
heat exchanger. The heat of compression of LT cycle is defined as the sum of heat absorbed by LT
cycle evaporator from the cooling space and energy drawn by CO2 LT compressor. In both the LT and
HT cycle, a liquid separator is used to maintain mass balance during varying load conditions by
providing a buffer and an extra cooling effect in the evaporators by utilizing the entire latent heat of the
refrigerants. However, for the all R744 unit, instead of the cascade system, a simple two-stage
compression system with inter stage cooling is used to avoid the temperature difference loss in the
cascade condenser, as shown in Figure 1(b). The flow rate of the intercooling CO2 is controlled such a
way that ensure suction of the compressor is in dry saturated state. This two-stage cycle works in the
transcritical regime because of the lower critical temperature (31.1 °C) of R744 in the tropical ambient
or an undersized gascooler arrangement.
Gas
cooler
12
HT cycle

13 12 13

Condenser CO2 HT
Exp.
Expansion compressor
valve-1
valve 11
11 Gas-bypass
14 HT 14
compressor 10 valve
Liquid
separator Int. pressure
10 receiver
Cascade
9 condenser
7 6 Inter stage cooling
Expansion 9 6
valve CO2 LT 7
LT cycle

compressors CO2 LT
Exp. compressor
8 5 Valve-2
8 5
CO2 Liquid separator 4
CO2 Liquid separator
4
LT
1 LT
evaporator 1
evaporator
Pump
3
3
2
Regulating 2
valve Regulating
valve
(a) R744/other refrigerants subcritical cascade (b) Simple R744 transcritical two-stage compression
refrigeration system system with intermediate cooling

Figure 1. Schematic of CO2-natural refrigerants for low-temperature cooling.

3 | Paper ID : 219
Sixth International Conference on Polygeneration – ICP 2021

A refrigerant pump is used to ensure proper refrigerant circulation from the liquid separator to the
evaporator by providing sufficient head because of longer tube length and varying cooling load
conditions. The liquid CO2 is then pushed to the feeding valves at the evaporator inlet ports, which
regulates the flow of CO2 through the various evaporators. A variable frequency drive compressor is
used in the HT cycle because the evaporator capacity of the HT cycle depends on the condenser capacity
of the LT cycle.
3 . Thermodynamic modelling of the system
A thermodynamic model is developed using MATLAB 2017a (9.2.0.556344) linked with REFPROP
9.0 [12] to get thermodynamic property data.
3.1 Assumptions

The following assumptions are considered for the thermodynamic analysis of the system.
i. The heat loss from the components of the cascade system to the ambient is negligible.
ii. Pressure loss from the pipeline of the system is negligible.
iii. Process in the expansion valves is isenthalpic.
iv. The minimum temperature difference between the two fluids in the cascade condenser is taken as 3
K to allow heat transfer using PCHE to avoid larger heat exchanger.
v. Condenser/gas cooler exit temperature is taken as 10 K higher than the ambient temperature for all
refrigerants analysed except R744 for that taken as 5 K.
vi. The refrigerants are in the saturated liquid state at the exit of the HT cycle condenser and cascade
condenser.
vii. LT cycle refrigerant coming out from the LT evaporator and HT cycle refrigerant from the cascade
condenser are at the saturated vapour condition.
viii. System analysis is performed for 10 kW refrigeration capacity.
The following governing equations are used across the components of the cascade system for the
thermodynamic analysis.
The mass flow rate through the LT evaporator is determined by energy balance.
𝑄̇𝑒,𝐿𝑇 = 𝑚̇1 (ℎ4 − ℎ3 ) (Eq. 1)

The CO2 LT compressor power consumption is determined as

𝑊̇𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝,𝐿𝑇 = 𝑚̇5 (ℎ6 − ℎ5 ) (Eq. 2)

where specific enthalpies at the LT compressor inlet and exit are calculated by:
ℎ6 = ℎ5 + (ℎ6,𝑖𝑠 − ℎ5 )/𝜂𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝,𝐿𝑇 (Eq. 3)
where ℎ6,𝑖𝑠 = 𝑓(𝑝6 , 𝑠5 )
The heat transfer rate in the cascade condenser and mass flow rate of HT cycle refrigerant in the cascade
condenser (𝑚̇9 ) is determined by energy balance across the heat exchanger.
𝑄̇𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒 = 𝑚̇5 (ℎ6 − ℎ7 ) = 𝑚̇9 (ℎ10 − ℎ9 ) (Eq. 4)
The mass flow rate of inter cooler CO2 of the two-stage compression system is determined as
𝑚̇5 (ℎ6 − ℎ11 )
𝑚̇9 = (Eq. 5)
ℎ11 − ℎ9
The mass flow rate through the HT compressor of the cascade system is determined as
𝑚̇11 = 𝑥10 𝑚̇9 /(1 − 𝑥14 ) (Eq. 6)

The mass flow rate through the HT compressor of the two-stage compression system is determined as
𝑚̇11 = (𝑚̇5 + 𝑚9 )/(1 − 𝑥14 ) (Eq.7)

4 | Paper ID : 219
Sixth International Conference on Polygeneration – ICP 2021

The HT compressor power consumption is determined as

𝑊̇𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝,HT = 𝑚̇11 (ℎ12 − ℎ11 ) (Eq. 8)

where specific enthalpies at the LT compressor inlet and exit are calculated by
ℎ11 = 𝑓(𝑇11 , 𝑥11 = 1) (Eq. 9)
ℎ12 = ℎ11 + (ℎ12,𝑖𝑠 − ℎ11 )/𝜂𝑖𝑠,𝐻𝑇 (Eq. 10)

where ℎ12,𝑖𝑠 = 𝑓(𝑝12 , 𝑠11 )

The HT cycle condenser capacity is calculated as,
𝑄̇𝐶,𝐻𝑇 = 𝑚̇11 (ℎ12 − ℎ13 ) (Eq.11)

The coefficient of performance (COP) of the LT cycle is determined with neglecting the pump power
consumption,
(1 − 𝑥8 )(ℎ4 − ℎ3 ) (Eq.12)
𝐶𝑂𝑃𝐿𝑇 =
(ℎ6 − ℎ5 )
COP of the HT cycle is determined as,
(1 − 𝑥14 )(ℎ10 − ℎ9 ) (Eq.13)
𝐶𝑂𝑃𝐻𝑇 =
h12 − h11
COP of the cascade system, as shown in Figure 1(a), is determined as,
(1 − 𝑥8 )(1 − 𝑥14 )(ℎ4 − ℎ3 )(ℎ10 − ℎ9 )
𝐶𝑂𝑃𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚 = (Eq.14)
(1 − 𝑥14 )(ℎ6 − ℎ5 )(ℎ10 − ℎ9 ) + (ℎ6 − ℎ7 )(ℎ12 − ℎ11 )

COP of the transcritical two-stage system, as shown in Figure 1(b), is determined as,

(1 − 𝑥8 )(1 − 𝑥14 )(ℎ4 − ℎ3 )(ℎ11 − ℎ9 )

𝐶𝑂𝑃𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚 = (Eq.15)
(1 − 𝑥14 )(ℎ6 − ℎ5 )(ℎ11 − ℎ9 ) + (ℎ6 − ℎ11 )(ℎ12 − ℎ11 )
3.2 Irreversibility analysis of system

The component-wise exergy analysis is performed to optimize the system performance. The cause of
irreversibility in the components of the cascade refrigeration system are friction, the temperature
difference between heat transfer fluids in the heat exchangers and isenthalpic expansion in the throttling
devices. The expressions for irreversibility in each of the components are given below.
The irreversibility in the compressors occurs due to frictional losses during the compression process.
̇
𝐼𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝,𝐿𝑇 = 𝑇𝑎𝑚𝑏 (𝑚̇5 (𝑆6 − 𝑆5 )) (Eq.16)
̇
𝐼𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝,𝐻𝑇 = 𝑇𝑎𝑚𝑏 (𝑚̇11 (𝑆12 − 𝑆11 )) (Eq.17)
The irreversibility in the cascade condenser, HT cycle condenser and evaporator occurs due to the finite
temperature difference required for heat transfer.
̇
𝐼𝐶𝑎𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒 = 𝑇𝑎𝑚𝑏 (𝑚̇6 (𝑆7 − 𝑆6 ) + 𝑚̇9 (𝑆10 − 𝑆9 )) (Eq.18)

𝑄𝐶 (Eq.19)
𝐼𝐶̇ = 𝑇𝑎𝑚𝑏 (𝑚̇12 (𝑆13 − 𝑆12 ) + ( ))
𝑇𝑎𝑚𝑏
𝑄𝑒,𝐿𝑇 (Eq.20)
̇
𝐼𝑒.𝐿𝑇 = 𝑇𝑎𝑚𝑏 (𝑚̇2 (𝑆4 − 𝑆3 ) − ( ))
𝑇𝑐𝑠
The irreversibility in the throttling devices is determined using the following expressions.

5 | Paper ID : 219
Sixth International Conference on Polygeneration – ICP 2021

̇
𝐼𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑡,𝐻𝑇 = 𝑇𝑎𝑚𝑏 (𝑚̇11 (𝑆14 − 𝑆13 )) (Eq.21)
̇
𝐼𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑡,𝐿𝑇 = 𝑇𝑎𝑚𝑏 (𝑚̇7 (𝑆8 − 𝑆7 )) (Eq.22)
Total irreversibility in the system is determined as,
̇
𝐼𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 ̇
= 𝐼𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝,𝐿𝑇 ̇
+ 𝐼𝑒.𝐿𝑇 ̇
+ 𝐼𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑡,𝐿𝑇 ̇
+ 𝐼𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝,𝐻𝑇 ̇
+ 𝐼𝐶𝑎𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒 + 𝐼𝐶̇ + 𝐼𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑡,𝐻𝑇
̇ (Eq.23)

The exergy efficiency of the cascade system is,

İtotal (Eq.24)
ɳII = 1 −
ẆComp,LT + ẆComp,HT
4 . Results
R744 is used as a working fluid in the LT cycle and in the HT cycle, R290, R600a, R1234yf, R1234ze,
R134a, and R32, are used for performance analysis of the cascade system to select a suitable candidate
as a working fluid in the cascade refrigeration system. The isentropic efficiencies of the compressors
used in the cascade system are the function of compression ratio [4], as shown in Figure 2.
1 128
HT cycle
is,HT = -0.00097rHT2 - 0.010268rHT + 0.83955 LT cycle
0.9 64
Isentropic efficiency of

is,CO2 = 0.00476rCO22 - 0.09238rCO2 + 0.8981 7 6

0.8 32
compressors

12
4,5
p (bar)

0.7 16 1
8 13
0.6 8

0.5 4
9
10,11
14 TeLT = -27 C
Tamb = 35 C
0.4 2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0 500 1000 1500 2000
Compression ratio h (kJ/kg)
Figure 2 Effect of compression ratio on efficiencies Figure 3. p-h chart for R744/R717 cascade
of compressors refrigeration system
2 6 12.6
R717 R290
R600a R1234ze
1.8 R134a R32 10.7
4.8 R1234yf LT Cycle COP
1.6 8.8
COPHT Cycle

COPLT Cycle
R717 R600a
COPsystem

1.4 R290 R134a 3.6 6.9

R32 R1234ze
1.2 5
R1234yf R744
2.4
1 TeLT =-27 C TeLT = -27 C 3.1
Tamb = 35 C Tamb = 35 C
0.8 1.2 1.2
-12 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 -12 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10
Intermediate condensing temperature ( C) Intermediate condensing temperature ( C)
Figure 4. Effect of intermediate condensing Figure 5. Effect of intermediate condensing
temperature on system COP for different refrigerants temperature on the HT and LT cycle COP
The process flow for the cascade system is exhibited on the p-h chart, as shown in Figure 3. Figure 4
shows the existence of the optimum intermediate condensing temperature of CO2, where COP of the
system is maximum for all the refrigerants used in the HT cycle. The optimum intermediate condensing
temperature occurs because of COP of the HT cycle increases, but the COP of the LT cycle decreases
with the increases in intermediate condensing temperature, as shown in Figure 5. The pressure ratio
across the HT cycle compressor decreases with increases in the intermediate condensing temperature
cause lesser power consumption, hence COP of the HT cycle increases, but the pressure ratio across the
LT cycle compressor drops causes more consumption. Therefore, COP of the LT cycle decreases. The
system COP for R717 in the HT cycle is the highest among the analysed refrigerants, followed by R600a

6 | Paper ID : 219
Sixth International Conference on Polygeneration – ICP 2021

and R290, as shown in Figure 4. COP of the R744/R717 system is 2 to 4 % higher than the COP of the
R744/R600a cascade system and 2.3 to 5.6% higher than the R744/R290 cascade system at the specified
operating range. R744 has the lowest COP because of the transcritical operation for the considered
operating conditions, but by modifying the cycle, the system's performance can be improved. The
system COP for refrigerants, R1234ze, R134a and R32 are nearly similar. The optimum intermediate
condensing temperature depends on the LT evaporator, HT cycle condensing temperature and
refrigerant used as a working fluid, as shown in Figures 6 and 7. The optimum condensing temperature
rises with an increase in the LT evaporator temperature or ambient temperature, as shown in Figures 6
and 7. The R744 has a higher optimum condensing temperature than the other refrigerants analysed in
this work because the same refrigerants are used in both the LT and HT cycle.
10 10
Tamb = 35 C

condensing temperature ( C)
condensing temperature ( C)

TeLT = -27 C
5 7
Optimum intermediate

Optimum intermediate
R744 R1234yf
0 4 R1234ze R134a
R600a R717
-5 1 R32 R290

-10 -2
R744 R1234yf
-15 R1234ze R134a -5
R600a R717
R32 R290
-20 -8
-50 -45 -40 -35 -30 -25 25 30 35 40
LT evaporator temperature ( C) Ambient temperature ( C)
Figure 6. Effect of LT evaporator temperature Figure 7. Effect of ambient temperature
on optimum intermediate condensing temperature on optimum intermediate condensing temperature
6 2
R717 R600a R290
condensing temperature ( C)

R1234yf R1234ze R134a

R134a R32 R1234ze
Optimum Intermediate

R600a R717 R290 R1234yf

R32
2 1.8
COP System

-2 1.6

TeLT = -27 C TeLT = -27 C

Tamb = 35 C Tamb = 35 C
-6 1.4
3 5 7 9 11 3 5 7 9 11
Cascade heat exchanger ∆T (K) Cascade heat exchanger ∆T (K)
Figure 8. Effect of Δ𝑇 on optimum intermediate Figure 9. Effect of Δ𝑇 on system COP
condensing temperature

It can be observed from Figure 8 that the optimum intermediate condensing temperature increases with
the increase in Δ𝑇. Therefore, the pressure ratio across the LT compressor increases. Due to larger Δ𝑇
the pressure ratio across the HT compressor increases cause decrement in the system COP, as shown in
Figure 9. The Δ𝑇 not only depends on the heat transfer coefficient of the refrigerants but also on the
size and effectiveness of the heat exchanger. The rise in 1K Δ𝑇 causes a nearly 2 % decrement in the
system COP. Therefore, refrigerants in the HT cycle and the effectiveness of the cascade heat exchanger
will play a crucial role in system performance. The COP of the system COP increases with a rise in the
evaporator temperature, as shown in Figure 10, due to lesser power consumption because the LT
compressor works at a lower pressure ratio. But the COP of the system decreases with a rise in the
ambient temperature, as shown in Figure 11, because the optimum intermediate condensing temperature
rises, it causes an increment in pressure ratio across the LT and HT compressor. Therefore, the power
consumption by both LT and HT compressors increases.

7 | Paper ID : 219
Sixth International Conference on Polygeneration – ICP 2021

Figures 12 and 13 show the effect of LT evaporator and ambient temperature on the ratio of HT
compressor mass flow rate of other refrigerants to the R717. All the analysis of Figures 12 and 13 have
been done at an optimum cascade condensing temperature. It can be observed that R744/R717 system
has the lowest mass flow rate through the HT compressor because of the largest latent heat at the
optimum cascade evaporation temperature. R744/R1234yf has the highest mass flow rate through the
HT compressor nearly 11 times more than R717 because of the lowest latent heat at an optimum cascade
evaporation temperature followed by R744/R744 system that has flow rate is nearly 10-11 times more
than R744/R717 system at the specified range of evaporating temperature. The system with refrigerants
R744/R600a, R744/R290 and R744/R32 have nearly 5 times more mass flow rate through the HT
compressor than the R744/R717 system, as shown in Figures 12 and 13. The mass flow rate through
the HT compressor increases for R744/R744 system faster than the other refrigerants with ambient
temperature, as shown in Figure 13, because the HT compressor suction is near the critical point, cause
faster decrement in the latent heat. Figures 12 and 13 provide information during the selection of the
HT compressor. The required volumetric capacity of the HT compressor not only depends on the mass
flow rate but also on the vapor density of the refrigerants at the suction of the compressor.
2.1 2.5
R717 R600a R290 R717 R600a R290
R32 R134a R1234ze R134a R32 R1234ze
1.8 R1234yf R744 2.2 R1234yf R744

1.9
COP System

COP System
1.5
1.6
1.2
1.3
0.9
1
Tamb = 35 C
TeLT = -27 C
0.6 0.7
-50 -45 -40 -35 -30 -25 25 30 35 40
LT evaporator temperature ( C) Ambient temperature ( C)
Figure 10. Effect of LT evaporator and HT Figure 11. Effect of LT evaporator and HT condenser
condenser temperature on the cooling capacity temperature on COP of the system
of the system
13 13
Tamb = 35 C TeLT = -27 C
HT compressor mass flow
HT compressor mass flow

11 11

9 9
ratio
ratio

7 R1234yf R744 R1234ze 7 R1234yf R744 R1234ze

R134a R600a R32 R134a R32 R600a
5 R290 5 R290

3 3
-50 -45 -40 -35 -30 -25 25 30 35 40
LT evaporator temperature ( C) Ambient temperature ( C)
Figure 12. Effect of LT evaporator temperature on Figure 13. Effect of ambient temperature on
the mass flow ratio of other refrigerants to R717 the mass flow ratio of other refrigerants to R717
in HT compressor in HT compressor

The primary purpose of Table 1 is to identify the larger irreversibility in the components that affecting
the system performance. R744 is used as a working fluid in the LT cycle. The refrigerants represented
in Table 1 are used in the HT cycle for the analysis. The irreversibilities in the LT evaporator are
identical for all refrigerants because fixed LT evaporator temperature at -27 °C. The irreversibilities in
the LT compressor and LT throttle valve are highest in the case of R744, followed by R1234yf and
R1234ze, because of the cascade condensing temperature is higher than the other refrigerants, as shown
in Figures 4 and 5. Also, irreversibility in the cascade heat exchanger is highest for R1234yf, followed

8 | Paper ID : 219
Sixth International Conference on Polygeneration – ICP 2021

by R1234ze because of the larger temperature difference between the heat transfer fluids. The
irreversibility in the throttle valve of the HT cycle is much lower for R717 than the other refrigerants
used for the analysis. Consequently, lower total irreversibility and better exergy efficiency of the
system, as shown in Table 1. Hence, R744/R717 cascade system has the highest COP.
Table 1. Components wise irreversibility comparison for the refrigerants analysed at an evaporator temperature
of -27 °C and ambient temperature of 35 °C for 10 kW cooling capacity.
Irreversibility (kW)
Refrigerant ̇ ̇
𝐼𝐸̇ 𝐼𝐿𝑇,𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝 ̇
𝐼𝐿𝑇,𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑡 ̇
𝐼𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝐼𝐻𝑇,𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝 𝐼𝐶̇ ̇
𝐼𝐻𝑇,𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑡 ̇
𝐼𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 ɳ𝐼𝐼
R717 0.24 0.45 0.200 0.257 0.67 0.88 0.3 3.02 0.429
R290 0.24 0.44 0.195 0.254 79 0.51 0.78 3.24 0.412
R600a 0.24 0.47 0.212 0.265 0.83 0.48 0.64 3.15 0.418
R1234yf 0.24 0.54 0.253 0.290 0.82 0.49 0.85 3.51 0.393
R1234ze 0.24 0.51 0.238 0.281 0.84 0.49 0.7 3.31 0.406
R134a 0.24 0.49 0.223 0.271 0.82 0.52 0.68 3.26 0.410
R32 0.24 0.44 0.194 0.253 0.74 0.77 0.63 3.28 0.408
R744 0.24 1.14 0.45 - 1.77 1.14 1.6 6.36 0.289
16 9.45
Tamb = 35 C R744 R1234yf R744 R1234yf TeLT =-27 C
14
Total irreversibility (kW)
Total irreversibility (kw)

R1234ze R134a 7.95 R1234ze R32

12 R32 R290 R134a R290
R600a R717
10 R600a R717 6.45

8
4.95
6
4 3.45

2
1.95
-50 -45 -40 -35 -30 -25
25 30 35 40
LT evaporator temperature ( c) Ambient temperature ( C)
Figure 14. Effect of LT evaporator temperature Figure 15. Effect of ambient temperature
on total irreversibility in the system on total irreversibility in the system

The total irreversibility is decreasing with the rise in evaporator temperature for all the refrigerants
analysed as shown in Figure 14. The compression ratio of the LT compressor and HT compressor drops
with an increase in the LT evaporator temperature cause increment in isentropic efficiency of the
compressor, hence total irreversibility decreases. But irreversibility in the system increases with an
increase in the ambient temperature because the optimum intermediate condensing temperature and HT
condensing temperature increases cause an increment in the pressure ratio across the LT and HT
compressors. The isentropic efficiency of the compressor decreases with an increase in compression
ratio, hence the irreversibility in the system increases with an increase in ambient temperature, as shown
in Figure 15.
5 . Discussion
The results compared among different refrigerants are based on identical minimum Δ𝑇 in the cascade
heat exchanger. Therefore, the cascade heat exchanger size is different because all refrigerants have
different heat transfer coefficients. The R744/R717 cascade system may perform a little better than the
other refrigerants for the same heat exchanger size because of the superior heat transfer coefficient. So,
the cascade heat exchange will play a significant role in enhancing the cascade refrigeration system
performance. However, the transcritical two-stage R744/R744 system configuration used in this
analysis is not optimized. With the addition of an ejector and heat recovery in the HT cycle, the results
would be more comparable.

9 | Paper ID : 219
 Sixth International Conference on Polygeneration – ICP 2021

6 . Conclusions
A parametric analysis of the CO2/natural refrigerants cascade system is presented in this paper. The
study reveals the existence of optimum CO2 condensing temperature, uniquely associated with the LT
evaporator and HT condensing temperatures where COP of the system is maximum. All analysed
refrigerants have different optimum cascade condensing temperatures. COP of the R744/R717 system
is 2 to 4 % higher than the COP of the R744/R600a cascade system and 2.3 to 5.6% higher than
R744/R290 cascade system. From the analysis, it can be observed that R717, R600a and R290 are the
potential candidates for the HT cycle of the cascade refrigeration system. Although, R744/R744 system
can be used alternative to the proposed refrigerants with cycle modifications where heat recovery and
less space are required.
Acknowledgments
The results presented in the paper was performed under the Project INDEE+, a cooperation project
between Norway and India funded under by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, project number
IND-19/0011 INDEE+ Future Refrigeration India.
References
[1] J. Alberto Dopazo, J. Fernández-Seara, J. Sieres, F.J. Uhía, Theoretical analysis of a CO2-NH3
cascade refrigeration system for cooling applications at low temperatures, Appl. Therm. Eng. 29
(2009) 1577–1583.
[2] H.M. Getu, P.K. Bansal, Thermodynamic analysis of an R744-R717 cascade refrigeration
system, Int. J. Refrig. 31 (2008) 45–54.
[3] R. Llopis, D. Sánchez, C. Sanz-Kock, R. Cabello, E. Torrella, Energy and environmental
comparison of two-stage solutions for commercial refrigeration at low temperature: Fluids and
systems, Appl. Energy. 138 (2015) 133–142.
[4] T.S. Lee, C.H. Liu, T.W. Chen, Thermodynamic analysis of optimal condensing temperature of
cascade-condenser in CO2/NH3 cascade refrigeration systems, Int. J. Refrig. 29 (2006) 1100–
1108.
[5] W. Bingming, W. Huagen, L. Jianfeng, X. Ziwen, Experimental investigation on the
performance of NH3/CO2 cascade refrigeration system with twin-screw compressor, Int. J.
Refrig. 32 (2009) 1358–1365.
[6] A. Da Silva, E.P. Bandarra Filho, A.H.P. Antunes, Comparison of a R744 cascade refrigeration
system with R404A and R22 conventional systems for supermarkets, Appl. Therm. Eng. 41
(2012) 30–35.
[7] V. Adebayo, M. Abid, M. Adedeji, M. Dagbasi, O. Bamisile, Comparative thermodynamic
performance analysis of a cascade refrigeration system with new refrigerants paired with CO2,
Appl. Therm. Eng. 184 (2021).
[8] C. Sanz-Kock, R. Llopis, D. Sánchez, R. Cabello, E. Torrella, Experimental evaluation of a
R134a/CO2 cascade refrigeration plant, Appl. Therm. Eng. 73 (2014) 41–50.
[9] R. Cabello, D. Sánchez, R. Llopis, J. Catalán, L. Nebot-Andrés, E. Torrella, Energy evaluation
of R152a as drop in replacement for R134a in cascade refrigeration plants, Appl. Therm. Eng.
110 (2017) 972–984.
[10] A. Kilicarslan, M. Hosoz, Energy and irreversibility analysis of a cascade refrigeration system
for various refrigerant couples, Energy Convers. Manag. 51 (2010) 2947–2954.
[11] Z. Sun, Q. Wang, Z. Xie, S. Liu, D. Su, Q. Cui, Energy and exergy analysis of low GWP
refrigerants in cascade refrigeration system, Energy. 170 (2019) 1170–1180.
[12] E.W. Lemmon, M.L. Huber, M.O. McLinden, NIST Standard Reference Database 23: Reference
Fluid Thermodynamic and Transport Properties (REFPROP), Version 9.0, Phys. Chem. Prop.
(2010).

10 | Paper ID : 219

View publication stats