Current Status on Natural Working Fluids in Cooling, Heating and Power Systems

Dear Colleagues,

Cooling, heating and power systems are of vital importance for mankind, being essential for most of the activities of modern society. However, these systems also contribute dramatically to climate change. Therefore, the adoption of eco-friendlier cooling, heating and power solutions is mandatory in order to mitigate the contemporary environmental challenges and to respect the different regulations on the progressive ban of hydrofluorocarbons. Indeed, natural working fluids, such as hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, water, ammonia and air, with negligible/zero global warming potential and zero ozone depletion potential are bound to play a key role in this context.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to attract state-of-the-art research and review articles on the use of natural working fluids in cooling, heating and power systems. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• System and component modeling;
• CFD analyses;
• Experimental investigations;
• Exergy-based assessments;
• Life cycle climate performance and life cycle assessment;
• District heating and cooling;
• Heat-driven systems;
• Vapor-compression HVAC&R systems;
• Reverse Joule/Brayton cycles;
• Organic Rankine and Kalina cycles;
• Supercritical CO₂ power cycles;
• Polygeneration systems;
• Expanders, jet pumps and ejectors;
• Vortex tubes;
• Pumped thermal energy storage;
• Natural-working-fluid-based mixtures;
• Safety issues and risk assessment for flammable refrigerants.

Dr. Paride Gullo
Mr. Roberto Pili
Prof. Dr. Sébastien Poncet
Guest Editors

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