Thermodynamic and cost analysis of PV panel assisted cold facilities using different refrigerants

The rapid growth of the global population, the expansion of e-commerce, seasonal changes, and the storage conditions and requirements of essential food products and other goods have made cold storage facilities increasingly important. In this study, thermodynamic calculations and comparisons were made for five different cities and fluids to determine the effect of refrigerant and outdoor temperature on cooling performance by designing a photovoltaic panel integrated cold facility. Thermodynamic calculations and comparisons were made for five different cities and refrigerants. For Adana province, which has the highest outside temperature among the selected cities, COP and exergy efficiencies were found to be 34% and 28% lower compared to Erzurum, which has the lowest outside temperature, respectively. Calculations performed for different refrigerants under the same ambient temperatures and cooling loads showed that the highest and lowest COP values were achieved with refrigerants R134a and R452a, respectively. The refrigerant R513a, being newer and more environmentally friendly, demonstrated the best cooling performance as an alternative to R134a. The aim was to meet the facility's electricity consumption with the electricity generated by PV panels planned to be installed on the facility's roof. Numerical calculations revealed that the electricity generated by PV panels varied according to the sunshine durations of the cities where the facility is planned to be established. The electricity generated by PV panels was found to cover between 53% and 100% of the facility's daily electricity consumption during maximum and minimum sunshine durations.The climate conditions of the cities where the facility is planned to be established affect equipment capacities, the electricity generated by PV panels, initial investment costs, and payback periods. Under maximum sunshine durations, the shortest payback period was found to be 8.42 years for İzmir, while the longest payback period was 9.96 years for Bolu.