Research on dynamic carbon emissions in refrigeration system: a case study of cascade system

With the intensification of the greenhouse effect, scholars have focused on the carbon emission accounting and carbon reduction of refrigeration systems. However, there is little research on the dynamic carbon emissions of refrigeration systems, making it difficult to reflect the changes in the system's carbon emissions. This paper constructs a dynamic cascade refrigeration system carbon emission model by investigating the predicted data of China's energy structure and the required carbon emission factors, and combining the carbon emission accounting model and the refrigeration system model. The results show that within the time range of 2025–2060, the carbon emissions during the operation phase account for the largest proportion, and the total carbon emissions are generally decreasing; the carbon emissions during the construction phase come from refrigerants and raw materials, with the two proportions being quite similar and showing little change over time; the carbon emissions during the operation phase come from refrigerant leakage and power consumption, and the proportion of power consumption is decreasing over time, and the carbon emissions from power consumption are affected by the interaction between refrigerant leakage and carbon emission factors; the carbon emissions during the recovery phase come from refrigerant disposal and raw material recovery, with refrigerant disposal accounting for a relatively large proportion.