A new apparatus for the measurement of the isobaric heat capacity of liquid refrigerants

A new automated adiabatic flow calorimeter was developed which enables one to measure the isobaric heat capacity, C _p, of pure fluids and their mixtures in the liquid phase. The calorimeter has been carefully designed to keep the heat loss from the sample fluid as small as possible being regarded as negligible. The experimental apparatus constitutes a closed circuit of the sample circulation using a combination of two mounted metallic bellows and a metering pump. The present apparatus is designed to measure C _p at temperatures to 500 K and pressures to 15 MPa and is also applicable to measurements in the critical region as well as the region near the saturated liquid state because of its excellent mass flow rate control stability and the high adiabatic efficiency of the calorimeter. The C _p of liquid refrigerant 114 (R114) has been measured at temperatures from 275 to 415 K and pressures up to 3.2 MPa including the critical region with experimental uncertainty of less than ±0.4%. The heat capacity of saturated liquid R114 has also been derived from the data measured in the single phase.Paper presented at the Tenth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, June 20–23, 1988, Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S.A.     

Numerical simulation of non-adiabatic capillary tubes considering metastable region. Part I: Mathematical formulation and numerical model

A detailed one-dimensional steady and transient numerical simulation of the thermal and fluid-dynamic behavior of capillary tube–suction line heat exchangers has been carried out. The governing equations (continuity, momentum, energy and entropy) for fluid flows, together with the energy equation in solids, are solved iteratively in a segregated manner. The discretized governing equations in the zones with fluid flow are coupled using a fully implicit step-by-step method. An implicit central difference numerical scheme and a line-by-line solver were used in solids. A special treatment has been implemented in order to consider transitions (subcooled liquid region, metastable liquid region, metastable two-phase region and equilibrium two-phase region). All the flow variables (enthalpies, temperatures, pressures, mass fractions, heat fluxes, etc.) together with the thermophysical and transport properties are evaluated at each point of the grid in which the domain is discretized. The numerical model allows analysis of aspects such as geometry, type of fluid, critical or non-critical flow conditions, metastable regions and transient cases. Comparison of the numerical simulation with experimental data presented in the technical literature will be shown in Part II of the present paper.     

Pressure drop and flashing mechanisms in refrigerant expansion devices

This paper examines a novel pressure drop mechanism as well as flow choking conditions that determine mass flow rate in refrigerant expansion devices. For this study, an ideal situation is considered where an expansion device such as a short tube orifice or a thermostatic expansion valve is modeled as an ideal isentropic nozzle. In addition, a liquid with a certain initial degree of superheat is first expanded in the converging nozzle down to the exit section without any phase transition. At the exit section where the metastable liquid jet flashes to produce a complex axisymmetric two-phase flow, a shock wave may terminate the overall expansion process. The model presented here is based on experimental observations in short nozzles, where the metastable liquid in the central core undergoes a sudden phase transition in the interfacial region, giving rise to a high-speed two-phase flow. A simple 1-D analysis of the radial evaporation wave based on the theory of discontinuities from gas dynamics leads to the Chapman–Jouguet (C-J) solution. Flow choking issues are examined and numerical examples are presented for three common refrigerants: R134a, R-22, and R-600a. Results suggest that the evaporation wave may be the flow controlling mechanism in these devices.     

Heat transfer in the evaporator of an advanced two-phase thermosyphon loop

As heat generation from electronic components increase and the limit of air-cooling is reached, the interest for using liquid cooling for high heat flux applications has risen. Thermosyphon cooling is an alternative liquid cooling technique, in which heat is transferred as heat of vaporization from evaporator to condenser with a relatively small temperature difference.The effect of fluid properties, the structure of wall surfaces, and the effect of system pressure was investigated and reported previously by the author. In this paper, the influence of heat flux, system pressure, mass flow rate, vapor fraction, diameter of evaporator channel and tubing distance between evaporator and condenser on the heat transfer coefficient of an advanced two-phase thermosyphon loop is reported. The tested evaporators were made from small blocks of copper with 7, 5, 4, 3 and 2 vertical channels with the diameters of 1.1, 1.5, 1.9, 2.5, and 3.5 mm, respectively and the length of 14.6 mm. Tests were done with isobutane at heat fluxes ranging between 28.3 and 311.5 kW/m².     

A novel special distributed method for dynamic refrigeration system simulation

A novel dynamic mathematical model based on spatially distributed approach has been developed and validated in this paper. This model gives good agreement in predicting the system COP and other parameters. The validated model has been used to enhance the prediction of the micro variations of superheat and sub-cooling. The novel spatial distributed model for the condenser and evaporator in refrigeration system, calculates the two-phase region in gas and liquid field separately since the gas and liquid in the two-phase region have different velocities. Previous researchers have used a pre-defined function of the void fraction in their spatially distributed model, based on experimental results. This approach results in the separate solution of the mass and energy equations, and less calculation is required. However, it is recognized that the mass and energy equations should be coupled during solving for more accurate solution. Based on the energy and mass balance, the spatial distribution model constructed here solves the velocity, pressure, refrigerant temperature, and wall temperature functions in heat exchangers simultaneously. A novel iteration method is developed and reduces the intensive calculations required. Furthermore, the condenser and evaporator models have shown a parametric distribution along the heat exchanger surface, therefore, the spatial distribution parameters in the two heat exchangers can be visualised numerically with a two-phase moving interface clearly shown.     

Critical two-phase stratified flow during horizontal condensation

A theoretical investigation is made for two-phase, stratified, condensing flow between two parallel horizontal plates. From this investigation a correlation predicting critical flows during condensation is developed. According to this correlation it is shown that critical flow conditions are strongly dependent on the condensing mass flux, quality, void fraction and fluid properties. It is also shown that the inviscid Kelvin-Helmholtz theory is in error in predicting critical flow conditions because it ignores the effect of viscosity.     

An experimental study on heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of carbon dioxide during gas cooling process in a horizontal tube

The heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop during gas cooling process of CO₂ (R744) in a horizontal tube were investigated experimentally. The experiments are conducted without oil in the refrigerant loop. The main components of the refrigerant loop are a receiver, a variable-speed pump, a mass flow meter, a pre-heater and a gas cooler (test section). The water loop consists of a variable speed pump, an isothermal tank, and a flow meter. The refrigerant, circulated by the variable-speed pump, condenses in the inner tube while water flows in the annulus. The gas cooler of tube diameter is 6000 mm in length, and it is divided into 12 subsections.The pressure drop of CO₂ in the gas cooler shows a relatively good agreement with those predicted by Blasius's correlation. The local heat transfer coefficient of CO₂ agrees well with the correlation by Bringer–Smith. However, at the region near Pseudo-critical temperature, the experiments indicate higher values than the Bringer–Smith correlation. Based on the experimental data presented in this paper, a new correlation to predict the heat transfer coefficient of supercritical CO₂ during in-tube cooling has been developed. The majority of the experimental values are within 18% of the values predicted by the new correlation.     

Flow visualization applied to a small refrigeration compressor

This paper describes a flow visualization technique that was used to evaluate qualitatively the gas flow pattern inside a small, hermetically sealed, reciprocating refrigeration compressor. The applicable compressor designs are those in which the suction gas from the evaporator is dumped into the compressor shell, and is then drawn through a muffler into the suction plenum of the compressor. The physical separation of the muffler inlet from the suction gas inlet serves to reduce compressor noise and also provides an easy and convenient means of separating any liquid (compressor oil or liquid refrigerant) from the refrigerant gas. For the flow visualization studies the compressor housing was replaced by a clear plastic shell. Atmospheric air seeded with white smoke was the working fluid. The suction inlet and muffler were parts from a commercial compressor. The flow pulsations were modelled by connecting the muffler outlet to the input plenum of an auxiliary compressor. The flow patterns near the muffler inlet were recorded with a video camera. The mixing of the inlet gas with the gas circulating inside the muffler was studied. The effect of alignment and offset of the muffler inlet relative to the suction inlet, the effect of muffler size, and the effect of a shroud around the muffler were studied. The results were used to guide a companion study of detailed temperature and pressure measurements inside a working compressor.     

Operational performance of a cryogenic loop heat pipe with insufficient working fluid inventory

A cryogenic loop heat pipe (CLHP) has been developed for future aerospace applications at the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry (TIPC). It has been demonstrated that this CLHP, when placed horizontally, can operate in liquid-nitrogen temperature range and have a heat transfer capability of up to 12 W with proper working fluid inventory. This paper presents some particular characteristics of the CLHP when the compensation chamber is half-filled with liquid-phase working fluid before startup. The device has been tested at different orientations using nitrogen as the working fluid in order to compare its thermal behavior, specially related to the heat transfer capability, the operation temperature and the thermal resistance, as well as to investigate its operational characteristics under power level as low as 1 W. Tests were performed for the CLHP at horizontal position and with the liquid line 3.4 and 6.4 cm below the vapor line, respectively. The experimental results show the operationability of the CLHP tested at three orientations and tests with the liquid line 6.4 cm below the vapor line show lower operation temperatures and higher heat transfer capability.     

两相热虹吸循环动量模型评价

两相热虹吸管在工业领域应用广泛,其内部工质的流动模拟是热虹吸管设计的主要因素。然而在模拟过程中,存在着两相流模型适用范围有限而自然循环模拟精度要求高的矛盾,因此有必要根据热虹吸特性对现有两相流动量模型进行适用性评价。建立了稳态两相热虹吸循环模型,结合不同工质(水、R113和R600a)的两相热虹吸循环实验数据,分别对4种均相流动量模型和24种分相流动量模型组合(4种分相流摩阻压降模型和6种截面含气率模型组合)进行了计算比较,发现Lorkhart-Martinelli摩阻压降模型结合Tom截面含气率模型的模拟精度最高。利用此模型分析两相热虹吸循环内工质的流动特征,证实了质量流速随着热流密度的增大先增大后减小的规律,并从内部分布参数变化角度给出了新的解释。     

RH真空精炼吹氩参数对循环流动影响的数值分析

为研究RH真空脱气过程中的流动行为,建立了描述气泡驱动下的RH循环气-液两相流动的数学模型.基于欧拉-欧拉两流体模型,利用计算流体力学(CFD)商业软件FLUENT6.0,对不同充气量条件下的循环流量进行了预测.计算结果与实验数据的比较表明两者具有较好的一致性.应用该模型对充气压强与循环流量、充气量与上升管内气相及液相速度分布关系进行了数值模拟,用以理解其中的流动规律,为工程技术改进提供参考.     

High-pressure cylindrical acoustic resonance diffusion measurements of methane in liquid hydrocarbons

A novel cylindrical acoustic resonance method for the measurement of gas diffusion into liquids at high pressures is described. The measurements were per formed in a vertically oriented cylindrical acoustic resonator containing both the liquid solvent and gaseous diffusant while under high-precision isothermal and isobaric control. Individual resonance modes of the liquid column, the gas column, and the two-phase coupled fluid are resolved in the fast Fourier trans form acoustic-resonance spectrum (FFT-ARS). High-resolution acoustic spectra measured at frequent time intervals reveal the changes which accompany the diffusion fusion of gas into the liquid phase. One change, namely, the growth in length of the liquid column, results in a systematic shift to higher frequencies of axial modes in the gas column. The temporal behavior of this moving boundary, together with quantitative measurement of the flow to the gas column required to sustain the constant pressure, permits determination of the gas-into-liquid diffusion coefficient. Diffusion coefficients were determined from the change in frequency as a function of time of axial resonance modes in the gas-phase virtual cylinder as the surface of the underlying liquid phase advanced due to gas absorption. Measurements of the systems methane/n-octane, methane/n-nonane, and methane/n-decane were performed as a function of temperature at a pressure of 250 psia. Comparisons is made to results obtained elsewhere and by other methods but at the same temperatures and pressure.Paper presented at the Twelfth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, June 19–24, 1994, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.     

Specific Enthalpy Increments for Butan-1-ol at Temperatures from 423.2 to 623.2 K and Pressures to 10.2 MPa

Measurements of specific enthalpy increments for butan-1-ol are reported. A counter-current water-cooled flow calorimeter was used to measure 109 enthalpy increments over the temperature range of 423.2 to 623.2 K at pressures from 0.1 to 10.2 MPa. Extrapolation of the gas phase measurements to zero pressure gave values in close agreement with pure-component ideal-gas enthalpies calculated by extrapolation of data on the lower alcohols. Values of the specific enthalpy of vaporization derived from the measurements are in agreement with other work and are well fitted by a modification of the Watson equation. A method for the calculation of the two-phase enthalpy-pressure envelope is described.     

Calculation of basic parameters for gravity-fed evaporators for refrigeration and heat pump systems

A method for calculating the basic parameters for gravity-fed evaporators has been developed based on the calculation of the pressure drop of two-phase flow of refrigerant over pipes and pipe components. Gravity-fed evaporators have a unique self-regulation ability and are among the most efficient and reliable refrigeration and heat pump systems, provided that they are correctly designed.     

Development of a slug flow absorber working with ammonia-water mixture: part I—flow characterization and experimental investigation

This study deals with an experimental investigation for a counter-current slug flow absorber, working with ammonia–water mixture, for significantly low solution flow rate conditions that are required for operating as the GAX (generator absorber heat exchanger) cycle. It is confirmed that the slug flow absorber operates well at the low solution flow rate conditions. From visualization results of the flow pattern, frost flow just after the gas inlet, followed by slug flow with well-shaped Taylor bubble, is observed, while dry patch on the tube wall are not observed. The liquid film at the slug flow region has smooth gas–liquid interface structure without apparent wavy motion. The local heat transfer rate is measured by varying main parameters, namely, ammonia gas flow rate, solution flow rate, ammonia concentration of inlet solution and coolant inlet conditions. The heat transfer rate while absorption is taking place is higher than that after absorption has ended. The absorption length is greatly influenced by varying main parameters, due to flow conditions and thermal conditions.     

Nanofluidic bubble pump using surface tension directed gas injection

A new concept for liquid manipulation has been developed and implemented in surface-micromachined fluid channels. It is based on the surface tension directed injection of a gas into the liquid flow through micrometer-sized holes in the microchannel wall. The injected gas is directed to an exhaust by a cross-sectional asymmetry of the microchannel and thereby moves minute liquid volumes. Successful pumping experiments were performed with single stroke volumes of tens of picoliters at frequencies around 1 Hz. The minimum actuation pressure is 0.6 bar for a 2-microm channel height, in accordance with theoretical predictions.     

Isothermal two-phase flow of a vapor-liquid system with non-negligible inertial effects

In this paper we consider the problem of gas/liquid extraction near the bottom well in the context of geothermal energy exploitation. In particular we develop a mathematical model for the isothermal two-phase flow of a mono-component fluid in an undeformable porous media taking into account inertial effects. We use the so-called Forchheimer’s equation to model the relation between the fluid velocity and the pressure gradient in the region of co-existence of the two phases.We formulate the problem in cylindrical geometry assuming steady state and isothermal conditions. We take into account capillary pressure and we study its influence on the whole system. We derive important formulas that allow to predict the main thermodynamical quantities in the region of co-existence of the liquid and gaseous phase and we determine constraints on the physical parameters in order to predict the behavior of the fluid in the domain of the problem. Finally, we perform some numerical simulations to investigate the dependence on the physical parameters involved in the model.     

Prediction of two-phase pressure gradients of refrigerants in horizontal tubes

Two-phase pressure drop data were obtained for evaporation in two horizontal test sections of 10.92 and 12.00 mm diameter for five refrigerants (R-134a, R-123, R-402A, R-404A and R-502) over mass velocities from 100 to 500 kg/m² s and vapor qualities from 0.04 to 1.0. These data have then been compared against seven two-phase frictional pressure drop prediction methods. Overall, the method by Müller-Steinhagen and Heck (Müller-Steinhagen H, Heck K. A simple friction pressure drop correlation for two-phase flow in pipes. Chem. Eng. Process 1986;20:297–308) and that by Grönnerud (Grönnerud R. Investigation of liquid hold-up, flow-resistance and heat transfer in circulation type evaporators, part IV: two-phase flow resistance in boiling refrigerants. Annexe 1972-1, Bull. de l'Inst. du Froid, 1979) were found to provide the most accurate predictions while the widely quoted method of Friedel (Friedel L. Improved friction drop correlations for horizontal and vertical two-phase pipe flow. European Two-phase Flow Group Meeting, paper E2; June 1979; Ispra, Italy) gave the third best results. The data were also classified by two-phase flow pattern using the Kattan-Thome-Favrat (Kattan N, Thome JR, Favrat D. Flow boiling in horizontal tubes. Part 1: development of a diabatic two-phase flow pattern map. J. Heat Transfer 1998;120:140–7; Kattan N, Thome JR, Favrat D. Flow boiling in horizontal tubes. Part 2; new heat transfer data for five refrigerants. J Heat Transfer 1998;120:148–55; Kattan N, Thome JR, Favrat D. Flow boiling in horizontal tubes. Part 3: development of a new heat transfer model based on flow patterns. J. Heat Transfer 1998;120:156–65) flow pattern map. The best available method for annular flow was that of Müller-Steinhagen and Heck. For intermittent flow and stratified-wavy flow, the best method in both cases was that of Grönnerud. It was observed that the peak in the two-phase frictional pressure gradient at high vapor qualities coincided with the onset of dryout in the annular flow regime.     

A study on numerical simulations and experiments for mass transfer in bubble mode absorber of ammonia and water

An absorber is a major component in the absorption refrigeration systems, and its performance greatly affects the overall system performance. In this study, both the numerical and experimental analyses in the absorption process of a bubble mode absorber were performed. Gas was injected into the bottom of the absorber at a constant solution flow rate. The region of gas absorption was estimated by both numerical and experimental analyses. A higher gas flow rate increases the region of gas absorption. As the temperature and concentration of the input solution decrease, the region of gas absorption decreases. In addition, the absorption performance of the countercurrent flow was superior to that of cocurrent. Mathematical modeling equations were derived from the material balance for the gas and liquid phases based on neglecting the heat and mass transfer of water from liquid to gas phase. A comparison of the model simulation and experimental results shows similar values. This means that this numerical model can be applied for design of a bubble mode absorber.