An Experimental Investigation on Mass Effect of

Hydrocarbon Refrigerant (R600a) on Household

Refrigerator Energy Consumption

Edy Susanto1,2, M. Idrus Alhamid2, a), Nasruddin2, Budihardjo2

1Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Samudra, Meurandeh, Langsa 24416, Indonesia
2Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok,
Depok 16424, Indonesia
a)
Corresponding Author: mamak@eng.ui.ac.id

Abstract. The choice of refrigerant in a refrigeration system plays an important part in reducing
the impact of global warming and also the use of energy consumption. This study presents the
effect of mass refrigerant on increasing energy consumption utilized by household refrigerators.
Experiments were carried out in a conditioned room which is usually called a room chamber with
a controlled temperature of 32 o C. Refrigerant mass varied between 38 gr, 48 gr, and 58 gr. From
the experimental results obtained, there was an increase in energy consumption when the
refrigerants were 38 gr, 58 g of 0.97 kWh and 1.05 kWh compared to the 48 grams of refrigerant
mass at 0.76 kWh. Thus, the use of 48 grams of refrigerant mass will make energy consumption
of household refrigerators more efficient.
Keywords: Mass refrigerants; conditioned room; controlled temperature

1. INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, refrigeration is an extremely important part of everyday life. Generally, the

refrigeration system used in household refrigerators is a vapor compression refrigeration system
(VCRS). Energy consumption in this refrigeration system is considerable and the use of refrigerant
as a cooling medium often causes problems in the environment [1, 2]. The use of a conventional
refrigerant is alleged to have a negative impact on climate change, especially on the erosion of the
ozone layer. As stated by … [3] that conventional refrigerants contribute to environmental impacts
and climate change due to very high global warming potential (GWP). Many researchers have
tried to find alternative refrigerants one of which is hydrocarbon (HCs). Hydrocarbon is a natural
refrigerant, inexpensive and can be used for all types of cooling applications [4]. In addition,
hydrocarbons have zero ODP and low GWP and are far more efficient than conventional
refrigerants [5]. The use of hydrocarbons as an alternative replacement refrigerant has been widely
used for cooling systems. Although hydrocarbon has many advantages, it is also not without its
shortcomings. The main disadvantage of this refrigerant is its flammability and other hazardous
risks. The definition of flammability is the level of concentration of material that can ignite or
explode when near a fire source [6]. However, this weakness will not affect the use of refrigerants
if it is handled correctly [7, 8].
Before choosing the type of refrigerant that will be used as a cooling medium in the
refrigeration system the character of the refrigerant should be understood first. ASHRAE Standard
34 classifies refrigerants into basic groups; toxic and flammable. See table 1 [9].

TABLE 1. Safety classification of refrigerants.

Flammability Safety group

Higher
Lower toxicity toxicity
Higher A3 B3
Lower A2 B2
2
2
No-flame A1 B1
a
A2L and B2L are lower flammability refrigerants with a maximum burning velocity of ≥ 10
cm/s

Hydrocarbons are refrigerants which are low in toxicity and flammable. Hydrocarbon also has
an economic value as household refrigerators only require a small amount of refrigerant to operate.
This refrigerant is clearly the choice of many manufacturers in producing household refrigerators.
Hydrocarbon is considered capable of reducing the effects of GWP and ODP but is also able to
reduce energy consumption. Therefore, the discussion of hydrocarbon utilization on energy
consumption is relevant for discussion. In this work, an experimental study by varying the mass
of hydrocarbon refrigerants (R600a) was carried out to find the ideal mass of refrigerant to reduce
the energy consumption of household refrigerators.
 2. EXPERIMENTAL EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURE

2.1. Experimental Equipment

For this experiment, a 2-door household refrigerator was used. The specifications are:

TABLE 2. Technical Specifications of Refrigerator-Freezer Test Unit

Specifications

Climate class T
Frequency (Hz) 50
Current rating (A) 1.2
Power rating (W) 125
Voltage (V) 220
Freezer cabinet capacity (liter) 95
Fresh food cabinet capacity (liter) 187
Refrigerant type R600a
Dimensions 555(W)x585(L)x1400(H)mm

This refrigerator is produced for tropical regions with a symbol (T). Thermocouple type T and
RTD PT 100 are used to measure temperatures. Relative humidity was measured with a humidity
transmitter with an accuracy of ± 10%. YOKOGAWA WT-230 Digital with an accuracy of ±
0.0015 kW is used to measure the energy consumption of household refrigerators.

2.2. Procedure

Tests are carried out in a conditioned room, commonly referred to as the chamber [10]. The
household refrigerator is placed on a platform made of hardwood and painted in a non-glossy black
and left open to allow free circulation of air flow. The use of the platform aims to make the
refrigerator appear to be in a real condition in the household which is flanked by walls or furniture.
The environmental air temperature was measured using PT 100 RTD which was placed on the
right and left the side of the household refrigerator with a distance of 0.3 m from the refrigerator.
The use of the humidity transmitter aims to determine the humidity of the room which should not
be more than 75%. While the speed of air flow in the room is not more than 0.25 m / sec. The
freezer compartment is filled with the M-package as a cooling load.
 Data retrieval can be undertaken if a stable condition has been achieved, which is the condition
where the temperature of the environment is 32 o C and the warmest temperature of the m-package
is -18 o C in a three-star type refrigerator (***). Data collection is carried out at least 24 hours after
the condition has stabilized. After data collection is complete, the refrigerant is replaced and filled
for different mass amounts. The next test follows the procedure above.

FIGURE 1. Experiment Setup

3. PREPARATION OF REFRIGERANT MASS REPLACEMENT

Although hydrocarbons are environmentally friendly refrigerants, they are classified as

flammable. It is important to bear this in mind when refrigerants are replaced as the process must
adhere to strict safety procedures. When replacing or replenishing R600a refrigerant it is important
to shield it from sources of fire or sparks from any electricity short-circuits. Another safeguard is
to prepare fire extinguishers for the worst scenario.
To process the replacing or replenishing of refrigerants, the compressor is first vacuumed to a
pressure of 0 psi. Then, the tube that contains the refrigerant is weighed on a scale with an accuracy
of 0.1 gr to find out how much refrigerant is available. After that, the filling pipe is connected to
the refrigerant tube and the filling channel in the compressor. The filling valves are opened so that
the refrigerant can flow from the refrigerant tube to the compressor. The mass value of the
refrigerant is weighed on the scale until the value shows the amount of mass that should be filled
in the compressor. After the refrigerant mass is considered to be completely charged the filling
valve is closed so that no more refrigerant mass enters the compressor. Finally, the refrigerant
mass filling process is considered complete, and it can be repeated for different refrigerant masses.
In this experiment, the mass of refrigerant varied from 38 gr, 48 gr, and 58 gr.
 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Waiting for stable conditions to occur can mean that testing time may take up to 10 days for
one data collection. The time required for all refrigerant mass variations may take 63 days, which
means this is the time needed to replace the refrigerant mass. The temperature sensor to measure
the temperature in the refrigerator is installed in the freezer compartment and also in the fresh food
compartment, as in the picture below [11].

FIGURE 2. Placement of thermocouples in a household refrigerator

FIGURE 3. Power compressor vs operating times compressor

 Replacing the mass of refrigerant causes changes in the entire system. From Figure 3, it can
be seen that during the period of refrigerant replacement, the compressor power changes. Aside
from that, there is also a change in the defrost time and the on-off compressor.

FIGURE 4. Consumption energy vs operating times compressor

This clearly affects the energy consumption of household refrigerators. Figure 4 shows an
increase in energy consumption which is very significant when the refrigerant mass is added. This
is due to the mass of refrigerant which causes the compressor to work hard to compress the
refrigerant. But, a reduction in the mass of refrigerant does not mean a decrease in energy
consumption but on the contrary, energy consumption of household refrigerators continues to
increase although it is not significant.

5. CONCLUSIONS

From the experiment, the increase in energy consumption is 1.05 kWh when the refrigerant
mass is increased to 58 gr. The use of standard refrigerant mass that has been filled when the
household refrigerator is purchased is 48 gr, and the energy consumption is equal to 0.76 kWh. It
is interesting to note that a reduction in mass to 38 grams of refrigerant does not cause a decrease
in energy consumption but on the contrary, there is an increase in energy consumption to 0.97
kWh. So, it can be concluded that in household refrigerators the use of mass refrigerants with 48
gr energy consumption is more efficient.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work is supported by Hibah PITTA 2018 funded by DRPM Universitas Indonesia No.
2488/UN2.R3.1/HKP.05.00/2018.

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