A visual representation of refrigerant characteristics: what do HFOs look like?

The selection of refrigerant for an application is a balance of competing properties and it can be difficult and confusing to choose between two alternatives that have very different properties. The introduction of HFOs, particularly lower flammability refrigerants, has made this comparison even more difficult by introducing some additional considerations. In this paper a wide range of refrigerants are considered and comparatively assessed, considering factors such as operating pressure and system efficiency alongside environmental effects and cost elements. The resulting ranking is then displayed as a polar chart to give a visual representation of the trade-off required between cost, ease of operation and environmental impact. The purpose of this work is to create an easy and effective way to communicate the challenges that face the refrigeration industry to nontechnical stakeholders including legislators, building owners, students and the general public.