Thermophysical Property Characterization of R1336mzz(Z) with POE 380 for High-Temperature Heat Pump Applications
As the global demand for decarbonized heating solutions intensifies, high-temperature heat pumps (HTHPs) have emerged as a promising alternative to fossil fuel-based industrial heating. In response to evolving environmental regulations, the need for low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants that can sustain efficient operation at elevated temperatures has grown significantly. While some low-GWP refrigerants demonstrate favourable thermodynamic properties for high-temperature applications, their lubricant compatibility and thermophysical behaviour under extreme conditions remain underexplored. This study aims to address this gap in the literature by utilizing a high temperature thermophysical property measurement setup, capable of operation up to 190 °C. Using this test setup, the thermophysical properties of R1336mzz(Z), a promising high temperature, low-GWP refrigerant, was experimentally characterized in combination with polyol ester (POE) 380 lubricant. Key parameters such as saturation pressure, density, and viscosity were measured over refrigerant mass fractions ranging from 0.55 to 0.9 across a range of temperatures up to 160 °C. To enhance the usability of the experimental dataset, established empirical viscosity, density, and pressure correlations including the ASTM blending rule were applied, and new coefficient sets were determined for the R1336mzz(Z)–POE 380 mixture. These calibrated correlations provide reliable property predictions as functions of temperature and refrigerant mass fractions. The resulting models enable accurate component-level analyses and full-cycle simulations of high-temperature heat pump systems operating with low-GWP refrigerant–lubricant mixtures, thereby supporting ongoing efforts toward decarbonized industrial heating.