Performance Investigation of Eco‐Friendly Refrigerant Mixtures as an Alternative to R134a in Vapour‐Compression Refrigeration System

ABSTRACT The growing impacts of climate change and energy scarcity demand environmentally sustainable refrigeration solutions. This study investigates eco‐friendly refrigerants (R152a, R290 and R600a) and their optimized ternary mixture as alternatives to R134a. Four blend compositions were analysed using experimental testing and REFPROP 10.0 modelling across thermodynamic, environmental, safety and economic metrics. The optimal mixture, R152a/R290/R600a (50/40/10), achieved a COP of 3.35 representing a 50% improvement over R134a (2.24). It delivered a 105% higher refrigeration effect (301 vs. 147 kJ/kg), 12% lower compressor work and 15.8% reduction in exergy destruction. Environmental evaluation confirmed a 94% decrease in GWP (67–84 vs. 1430) and 15%–35% TEWI reduction across different global electricity emission scenarios (12–790 g CO 2 /kWh), demonstrating regional applicability and long‐term benefit under decarbonized grids. Quantitative safety analysis yielded an acceptable system risk of 2.1 × 10 −7 events/year, with SIL2‐certified engineering controls and a 4.2 evacuation safety margin. Economic analysis confirmed global viability, with $103–515 lifetime energy savings per system. The results confirm the proposed mixture as a technically superior, environmentally compliant, safe and economically viable alternative to R134a, supporting future sustainable refrigeration and global decarbonization efforts.