Parametric study on effect of condensing and evaporating temperatures on cold storage performance and carbon footprint of traditional fishing vessels

This paper presents a study on cold storage applications’ performance and carbon footprint on traditional fishing vessels. The cooling method used is Vapor Compression Refrigeration (VCR). However, VCR systems have issues related to CO₂ emissions. This study examines refrigerants’ Global Warming Potential (GWP) to assess their environmental impact. The refrigerants analyzed in this study are R32, classified as a low-GWP refrigerant, and R404a, classified as a high-GWP refrigerant. The cold storage capacity is based on a 5 GT traditional fishing vessels, approximately 500 kg. A steady-state numerical model was developed using thermodynamic equations. The condensing temperature was varied at 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, and 45°C, while the evaporating temperature was varied at -15°C, -20°C, -25°C, and -30°C. The parameters evaluated include power consumption, cooling capacity, coefficient of performance, and CO₂ emissions. The CO₂ contribution was assessed based on the Life Cycle Climate Performance (LCCP) model developed by the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR). The results indicate that R32 has a higher cooling capacity than R404a, while R404a contributes more to CO₂ emissions than R32. Based on these findings, R32 has significant potential to replace R404a in cold storage applications, particularly for traditional fishing vessels, to achieve better environmental sustainability.