Thermodynamic and environmental assessment of DX and cascade refrigeration systems in supermarket application
Galiguzova, Maria (2026)
Kandidaatintyö
2026
School of Energy Systems, Energiatekniikka
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2026052151128
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2026052151128
Tiivistelmä
Refrigeration systems in commercial food retail consume a significant amount of electricity as well as produce large amount of greenhouse gases. Therefore, more sustainable refrigeration solutions for supermarkets should be investigated. This paper aims to compare the technical and environmental performance of different supermarket refrigeration systems: conventional DX multiplex system with R404A, CO₂/R290 cascade system, CO₂/R717 cascade system.
The thermodynamic analysis is carried out using results obtained through simulations completed in CoolPack freeware. The systems were evaluated under Finnish ambient temperature conditions for supermarket with 4400 m2 sales area. Main technical indicators include COP, compressor power, mass flow rate, discharge temperature and pressure ratio. Then, environmental performance is assessed using Life Cycle Climate Performance method. The results show that cascade systems have higher COP than the conventional R404A DX system, and CO₂/R290 and CO₂/R717 systems had overall almost identical energy performance. Also, R404A had much higher direct emissions because of its high GWP. The findings indicate that cascade systems with natural refrigerants can reduce the climate impact of supermarket refrigeration systems and support the transition toward low-GWP refrigeration technologies. The thesis contributes to sustainable energy systems by reducing electricity use and climate impact in the food retail sector.
The thermodynamic analysis is carried out using results obtained through simulations completed in CoolPack freeware. The systems were evaluated under Finnish ambient temperature conditions for supermarket with 4400 m2 sales area. Main technical indicators include COP, compressor power, mass flow rate, discharge temperature and pressure ratio. Then, environmental performance is assessed using Life Cycle Climate Performance method. The results show that cascade systems have higher COP than the conventional R404A DX system, and CO₂/R290 and CO₂/R717 systems had overall almost identical energy performance. Also, R404A had much higher direct emissions because of its high GWP. The findings indicate that cascade systems with natural refrigerants can reduce the climate impact of supermarket refrigeration systems and support the transition toward low-GWP refrigeration technologies. The thesis contributes to sustainable energy systems by reducing electricity use and climate impact in the food retail sector.