Abstract:
This review paper present the possibilities of using hydrocarbons in the cooling and heating purposes in
the vapor compression system are discussed elaborately. Different types of hydrocarbons (HC) as alternatives in
terms of energy efficiency, exergy efficiency and heat transfer performance are analyzed. In developing countries,
most of the vapor compression systems use halogenated refrigerants (HCFCs) due to their high thermal
performance along with cost effectiveness. However, these refrigerants are harmful for the environmental
belongings such as depletion of ozone layer and global warming. The search of alternative refrigerants is an ongoing
process. This paper analyzes the different experimental and theoretical studies with HCs and their mixtures with
HFCs and found that these are environmental friendly. It is concluded that some HCs, especially R600a and R290
are energy efficient and environmental friendly for the refrigeration and heat pumps. These also showed higher
exergy efficiency compared to the other refrigerants like R134a, R12 and R22. REFPROP 7 software has been used
to determine the thermophysical properties of the refrigerants.
