Design rules for environmental sustainability: the case of refrigeration blocksystems.

Refrigeration is used in several sectors: starting from large-scale distribution to the medical industry. It is responsible for about 17% of total electricity consumption and around 8% of greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental performances analysis of refrigeration machines thus represents a significant step towards emissions reduction related to their use. This paper shows a comparative life cycle assessment among three refrigeration systems: the first one operating with a traditional refrigerant, the latter with a natural one. The analysis was performed following the international standards ISO 14040/14044. The functional unit was: 'the storage of food at 0°C, for a lifetime of 10 years in cold rooms of a supermarket. The aim was to define useful ecodesign rules applicable during the design phase; this represents a starting point for a constant improvement of company products. The results highlight how the use phase weights the most on the environment: it represents about 99% of the whole life cycle impact in the climate change indicator. The new design machine with natural fluid, proves to be the most eco-friendly; on the other hand, the one operating with a traditional refrigerant is the most impactful in each phase of the life cycle, due to both its higher power consumption and weight. Based on results, company strategies are drawn up to optimise refrigeration systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]