EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF LIQUID FREON TYPES ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A LABORATORY-SCALE COOLING TEST APPARATUS AT THE FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, MUHAMMADIYAH UNIVERSITY OF WEST SUMATRA

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the effect of different types of liquid freon on the performance of a laboratory-scale cooling system located in the Phenomena Laboratory of the Faculty of Engineering, Muhammadiyah University, West Sumatra. The cooling system operates based on the basic principles of thermodynamics using the vapor compression refrigeration cycle. In this experimental study, three types of refrigerants were tested: R134a, R410A, and R32, to compare their thermal performance. Key parameters observed include coefficient of performance (COP). The experiments were conducted under uniform operating conditions for each refrigerant. The results showed that each refrigerant exhibited different performance characteristics. R32 demonstrated the highest COP among the three, along with a higher operating pressure. R134a, on the other hand, showed good temperature stability but with lower thermal efficiency. These findings provide valuable insights into selecting the most suitable refrigerant for small-scale cooling systems in academic and laboratory environments.