100°C condensing temperature and beyond – R245fa
There are several applications where the condensing temperature needs to reach extremely high values and “traditional” refrigerants are outside of the application envelope of any kind of compressor technology. In the past R114 used to be the preferred choice for this kind of systems, nowadays several replacements with lower GWP values are under evaluation.
R245fa seems to be one of the most promising gas to replace the “old” R114.
R245fa (GWP 1030) is a non-flammable refrigerant used for ORC cycle for power generation and suitable also as refrigerant for chillers with large centrifugal compressor. Having a critical temperature of 154°C, this gas seems to be a reasonable choice for high ambient temperature applications.
One possible configuration to exceed 100°C condensing temperature could be a cascade system with R134a in the MT stage and R245fa in the HT stage.
Thanks to the robust design and reliability of DORIN compressors, this configuration has been tested and validated successfully on the field, granting long term durability even in the harsh conditions of the hottest ambient temperatures.