Seasonal Energy Efficiency of Split AC Systems Applied for Different Regions Across Indonesia Archipelago: a Numerical Approach
I Wayan Temaja, I Nyoman Suamir, I Ketut Rimpung and I Nyoman Suparta

Mechanical Engineering Department, Politeknik Negeri Bali, Campus Street, Kuta Selatan, Badung-Bali, 80364

Abstract

Seasonal energy efficiency of latest split type AC systems which commonly use R410A, R32 or R290 refrigerants has been investigated in this paper. A numerical approach was applied on split AC system which operated at diverse environmental conditions of different regions across Indonesia archipelago. The regions were grouped into west, middle and east. In each group, 4 cities weather conditions were applied for simulation. The numerical simulation was conducted using a distributable program established under EES (Engineering Equation Solver) software. The seasonal energy efficiency of the AC system was evaluated for one year period based on corresponding regions weather conditions. The evaluations included power consumption, coefficient of performance (COP), and SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio). The investigation was also performed on AC system using different refrigerants included R410A, R32 and R290. The results showed that the AC system differently performed in accordance with the regions. AC system at west Indonesia region commonly performed better than middle and east regions. It was also found that the AC systems, applied at the same regions or the same weather conditions, using R290 could provide better seasonal energy performance than a such system using R32 or R410A. Therefore, R290 becomes a promising refrigerant for split type AC systems for applications across the Indonesia Archipelago. Additionally, this finding is also reinforced by the low impact of R290 on the global environment with GWP as high as 3 kgCO2e per kg.

Keywords: Seasonal energy efficiency, split AC system, numerical approach, Indonesia Archipelago

Topic: Engineering