Effects of nanolubricant on performance of hydrocarbon refrigerant system

This work discusses the replacement of the R-134a refrigerant and polyester lubricant with a hydrocarbon refrigerant and mineral lubricant. The mineral lubricant included added Al₂ O₃ nanoparticles (0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 wt %) to improve the lubrication and heat-transfer performance. Experimental results indicated that the 60% R-134a and 0.1 wt % Al₂ O₃ nanoparticles were optimal. Under these conditions, the power consumption was reduced by about 2.4%, and the coefficient of performance was increased by 4.4%. These results show that replacing R-134a refrigerant with hydrocarbon refrigerant and adding Al₂ O₃ nanoparticles to the lubricant effectively reduced power consumption.