ENERGY PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF R32 AND R134A REFRIGERANT FOR SPRING POOL WATER HEATER

For a country with a tropical climate, such as Indonesia, heat pump technologies are usually necessary in high-altitude regions, where the temperatures tend to be cooler, such as a pool heater for an artificial hot spring swimming pool. A vapor compression heat pump’s optimal performance relies on its working fluid’s characteristics. This paper aimed to assess the performance and compare the time required to heat a hot spring pool using heat pumps with two different refrigerants: R32 and R134a. A thermodynamic modeling approach was employed to determine the better refrigerant choice between R32 and R134a for the heat pump, aside from other important factors that are considered when selecting the refrigerant, such as safety and environmental impacts. Comparing the results of R134a and R32 refrigerants, R134a has a higher GWP value than R32, indicating that R32 is more environmentally friendly. Regarding safety, R134a has low toxicity and flammability, while R32 exhibits low toxicity and mild flammability. Thus, R134a is considered safer than R32. Furthermore, the COP value of R134a was found to be higher than that of R32, indicating that R134a offers greater efficiency for the heat pump compared to R32.