Experimental investigation of the effects of different refrigerants used in the refrigeration system on compressor vibrations and noise

Vibration and noise are undesirable effects in daily life and energy-consuming systems. In this study, the effects of different refrigerants on noise and vibration in a sealed reciprocating compressor are discussed. The study compared the noise and vibration performances of refrigerants with lower ozone depletion potential (ODP) values compared to R22, which has a high ODP value. The study was carried out experimentally in two stages. Firstly, tests were conducted for the coefficient of performance (COP) of different refrigerants. Secondly, vibration and noise data were obtained experimentally for different refrigerants. The results obtained from the experiments showed that both the COP value and the compressor vibration and noise have different values for R22 refrigerant and other alternative refrigerants, but values close to R22 are obtained. It was observed that the compressor noise values and vibration values vary depending on the type of used refrigerant. Average vibration values were determined as 0.604 m/s2 in R22, 0.603 m/s2 in R438A, 0.593 m/s2 in R417A, 0.622 m/s2 in R422D and 0.637 m/s2 in R422A. When the noise values are examined, it was measured as 61.327 dB for R22, 62.913 dB for R438A, 62.187 dB for R417A, 63.715 dB for R422D and 64.913 dB for R422A. R417A, which has a 99% similar noise value to R22, was determined as an alternative refrigerant. COP values were found as 4.07 in R22, 3.98 in R438A, 3.63 in R417A, 3.37 in R422D, and 3.18 in R422A. R438A showing 95% similarity for COP can be used as an alternative to R22. Generally, it was observed that the noise and vibration values are very close to each other for all refrigerants examined.