Effects of synthetic oil in a compression refrigeration system using R410A. Part II: quality of heat transfer and pressure losses within the heat exchangers

The consequences of the oil rejected by the compressor of a vapour-compression refrigeration system on the operation of the evaporator and condenser are analysed. The modelled prototype uses the mixture of HFC R410A and a synthetic polyolester (POE) oil. The rise of the amount of lubricant circulating in the system leads to a progressive change in the behaviour of the mixture of refrigerant and oil that, for the higher oil mass fraction, evolves like a zeotropic mixture. One also observes that the presence of lubricant is generally associated with a fall of the performances of the heat exchangers, except however in the evaporator where an optimum is observed when the quantity of oil is equal to 0.1% of the total mass of the mixture. Some conclusions are drawn about the choice of correlations for the calculation of the refrigerant side heat transfer coefficient in a plate evaporator.     

Numerical study on the lubrication oil distribution in a refrigeration rotary compressor

For a rolling piston rotary compressor, oil supply into various lubrication elements has been analytically studied. The lubrication system, consisting of centrifugal shaft pump, radial oil feeding holes, bearings with grooves and some other sliding surfaces has been modeled by employing equivalent electric circuit network. A computer simulation program has been developed to solve the network model of the lubrication system. Its numerical solutions include total oil flow rate into the shaft inlet, oil flow rates in the main and sub journal bearings and in the eccentric bearing, and oil leakages through roller end clearances into suction and compression chambers. Validation of the numerical simulation has been made by the measurement of the total oil flow rate into the shaft. With the aid of computer simulation, parametric studies have also been carried to investigate the effects of the bearing groove shape and groove inclination angle on the bearing oil flow rates.     

Time-dependent behavior of gas absorption in lubricant oil

Gas absorption behavior in liquid with time has been studied by applying a simple mathematical model. The model is based on a one-dimensional mass diffusion process due to the concentration difference in dissolving gas. In order to examine the model validity, selected experimental data in the literature have been analyzed with the present model. The model has faithfully reproduced the experimental transient behavior of dissolving gases, and physically meaningful model parameters, diffusion constant and solubility limit, have been obtained for dissolving gas (water and refrigerant) in various lubricant oils. The validity and the significance of the model are discussed.     

Unsteady state analysis of the compression cycle of a hermetic reciprocating compressor

In this work, an unsteady state analysis of the compression cycle of a small hermetic reciprocating compressor for domestic refrigeration was carried out. A specific one-dimensional model of the valves was developed and the mass and energy balances were applied to the refrigerant inside the cylinder to determine the mass, pressure and temperature behaviour and the heat and work transfer through the compression process. This analysis was inserted into a traditional steady state model of the compressor to evaluate the efficiency of the compression cycle and the performance of the compressor unit. The whole simulation code was validated against the experimental measurements carried out on a R134a commercial unit in a wide range of operative conditions: a fair agreement was found between predicted and measured performances. The simulation code can be a useful tool for the analysis, the design and the development of small hermetic reciprocating compressors for domestic refrigeration.     

Dynamic characteristics of a R-410A split air-conditioning system

This paper presents experimental results on the shut-down and start-up characteristics of a residential split system R-410A air-conditioner with a capillary tube. During shut-down, the transient characteristics are evaluated by measuring the high and low side pressures and temperatures of the system. The dynamic behavior of the system after start-up is also investigated at the standard cooling capacity rating condition of which the dry and wet bulb temperatures for the indoor and outdoor are 27/19.5 and 35/24°C, respectively. All experiments are performed in a psychrometric calorimeter. The cooling capacity, power consumption, dehumidification capacity and cycle characteristics after start-up are analyzed. The test results show that the cooling capacity and the coefficient of performance (COP) after start-up can be expressed as the combination of two exponential functions of time, approaching the cooling capacity of steady-state.     

Oil presence in an evaporator: experimental validation of a refrigerant/oil mixture enthalpy calculation model

In this paper, the impact of the oil presence on the performances of a refrigerating machine is investigated both experimentally and numerically. To highlight the effect of oil, particularly on the evaporator behaviour, a theoretical model of enthalpy calculation for a refrigerant/oil mixture has been previously developed [Int J Refrigeration, 26(2003), 284]. In order to validate this model, tests were carried out on an industrial refrigerating machine working with R-407C. The lubricant is a polyol-ester oil whose solubility curves are given by the oil manufacturer. The oil circulating mass fraction is measured by a sampling technique and by an on-line density measurement method, whose advantages and drawbacks are presented. Both the model and the experiments show that the ratio of enthalpy change through the evaporator with to without the oil presence increases when the apparent superheat at the evaporator outlet increases. This is due to the presence of a non-evaporated amount of liquid refrigerant dissolved in the oil at this location, which is confirmed by visual observations. The numerical and experimental results are found to be in a good agreement as the maximum deviation is about 2.2%.     

Appraising the flammability hazards of hydrocarbon refrigerants using quantitative risk assessment model. Part II. Model evaluation and analysis

Hydrocarbon refrigerants present are fire and explosion hazards due to their flammability. This paper describes a quantitative risk assessment (QRA) model to evaluate the potential for ignition when hydrocarbons are employed in stationary refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment. QRA enables examination of the effects that design, installation of equipment and external conditions on the frequency of ignition of the refrigerant and its consequences. Part I of this study presents the modelling approach for ignition frequencies, sub-models for refrigerant leakage and development of flammable concentration, and the associated consequences, being overpressures and thermal radiation. Part II provides recommended empirical input data and example results generated from the model.     

Calculation of thermodynamic properties of R407C and R410A by the Martin–Hou equation of state — part I: theoretical development

A theoretical development of the thermodynamic properties of two mixtures of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants, i.e. R407C and R410A (in the superheated vapour state), is carried out. The modelling is based on the Martin-Hou equation of state, which has long been used for pure hydrofluorocarbons (e.g. R134a) with good results. Since R407C and R410A are very well investigated refrigerants, the analytical procedure here derived concerns with those thermodynamic properties of R407C and R410A (in the superheated state) that are not published in the current specialised literature. They are: compressibility factor, isentropic and isothermal compressibility, volume expansivity, isentropic and isothermal exponent, speed of sound and Joule–Thomson coefficient. These properties may be used as a theoretical basis for research into the optimal HFC-mixture for compressor efficiency and for performing cycle calculations in the vapour-phase region for systems working with R407C and R410A.     

Two-phase pressure drop of R-410A in horizontal smooth minichannels

Convective boiling pressure drop experiments were performed in horizontal minichannels with a binary mixture refrigerant, R-410A. The test section was made of stainless steel tubes with inner diameters of 1.5 mm and 3.0 mm and with lengths of 1500 mm and 3000 mm, respectively. This test section was uniformly heated by applying electric current directly to the tubes. Experiments were performed at inlet saturation temperature of 10 °C, mass flux ranges from 300 to 600 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ and heat flux ranges from 10 to 40 kW m⁻². The current study showed the significant effect of mass flux and tube diameter on pressure drop. The experimental results were compared against 15 two-phase pressure drop prediction methods. The homogeneous model predicted well the experimental pressure drop, generally. A new pressure drop prediction method based on the Lockhart–Martinelli method was developed with 4.02% mean deviation.     

An experimental investigation and modelling of the thermodynamic properties of isobutane–compressor oil solutions: Some aspects of experimental methodology

This paper presents experimental data for the solubility, density and capillary constant for solutions of natural refrigerant isobutane with commercial mineral compressor oil Azmol over a wide range of temperatures and concentrations. Based on information for the capillary constant, the surface tension of the solutions isobutane/Azmol is determined. The experimental data were obtained in the temperature range from 303 K to 363 K and at pressures up to 1.7 MPa using static methods. The experimental data obtained for the solutions of the natural refrigerant isobutane with the commercial mineral compressor oil Azmol are sufficiently described with the help of correlations based on the theory of thermodynamic similarity. The paper reports variation of the vapor pressure, density, capillary constant and surface tension as a function of concentration for the isobutane/Azmol solutions. The enthalpy of liquid phase of the isobutane/Azmol solutions is calculated. The analysis of the behaviour of the excess thermodynamic functions is carried out. The paper examines experimental and methodical uncertainties in the investigation of thermodynamic properties of the refrigerant/oil solutions (ROS). The influence of the time taken to establish thermodynamic equilibrium in the experimental cell on the uncertainty of the experimental data for gas-saturated mixtures such as ROS is discussed. Information about the changing concentration of refrigerant in the liquid phase of the ROS and in the surface layer of the liquid phase of the ROS at increasing temperature is presented. In addition, the experimental data for the density, surface tension and refractive index of the mineral compressor oil Azmol are reported.