Retrofitting HFC134a into existing CFC12 systems

The CFC phasing-out regulations call for the phasing out of CFCs before the end of the decade. The process of revision of these regulations continues and the dates for phasing-out may be brought forward even more. After the phasing out of CFCs it will be important for the refrigeration industry to be able to use the existing equipment currently running on CFC12. This paper gives a brief outline of ICI developmental work on the new range of ester oils suitable for the alternative refrigerants. The simple procedure developed to enable the refrigeration industry to convert from CFC12 to HFC134a is described. The flushing procedure and the determination of residual mineral-oil content are set out. Five case studies where HFC134a has been retrofitted in five different application sectors are given at the end of the paper.     

Performance evaluation of environmentally benign refrigerants in heat pumps 2: An experimental study with HFC134a

The performance characteristics of HFC134a in an industrial (water to water) heat-pump test facility at Electricité de France with a twin-screw compressor are presented. The performance of HFC134a has been studied in terms of performance parameters of the compressor (e.g. its volumetric and isentropic efficiencies) and of the heat-pump system (e.g. coefficient of performance and volumetric heating capacity) with a view to using it in new installations for low to medium temperature (< 70°C) applications as well as to replacing CFC12 in existing installations. The influence of degree of superheat on the miscibility of HFC134a with ester oil and on the viscosity of the oil-refrigerant mixture has also been studied for various discharge pressures.     

A simple experimental investigation of saturated vapour pressure for HFC134a-oil mixtures

A new refrigerant , HFC134a, seems to be the most promising substitute for CFC12. The vapour pressure of HFC134a-oil mixtures is one parameter that is important for a proper analysis of the operation of refrigeration systems. This paper presents vapour pressure curves for HFC134a and three kinds of representative oil for different oil percentages, and for the temperature range from -20 to +40°C (253.15–313.15 K).     

Condensation heat transfer of a pure fluid and binary mixture outside a bundle of smooth horizontal tubes. Comparison of experimental results and a classical model

The condensation of pure HFC134a and different zeotropic mixtures with pure HFC134a and HFC23 on the outside of a bundle of smooth tubes was studied. The local heat transfer coefficient for each row was experimentally determined using a test section composed by a 13×3 staggered bundle of smooth copper tubes, measuring cooling water temperature in the inlet and the outlet of each tube, and measuring the vapour temperature along the bundle. All data were taken at the inlet vapour temperature of 40°C with a wall subcooling ranging from 4 to 26 K. The heat flux was varied from 5 to 30 kW/m² and the cooling water flow rate from 120 to 300 l/h for each tube. The visualisation of the HFC134a condensate flow by means of transparent glass tubes reveals specific flow patterns and explains the difference between the measured values of the heat transfer coefficient and the calculated values from Nusselt's theory. On the other hand, the experimental heat transfer data with the binary mixtures HFC23-HFC134a show the important effects of temperature glide and the strong decrease of the heat transfer coefficient in comparison with the pure HFC134a data. The measured values with the different zeotropic mixtures were compared with the data calculated with the classical condensation model based on the equilibrium model. An improvement of this model is proposed.     

HFC 134a as a substitute refrigerant for CFC 12

In response to international protocol agreements and national regulatory actions promoted by the increasing concern for ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect, HFC 134a has emerged as a leading candidate for CFC 12 substitution in automotive air conditioners, centrifugal chillers and residential refrigerators and freezers. This Paper discusses compressor and refrigeration system requirements and information gaps for HFC 134a application as a CFC 12 substitute.     

Nucleate boiling heat transfer coefficients of mixtures containing HFC32, HFC125, and HFC134a

Nucleate boiling heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) of binary and ternary mixtures composed of HFC32, HFC125, and HFC134a on a horizontal smooth tube of 19.0 mm outside diameter were measured. A cartridge heater was used to generate uniform heat flux on the tube. Data were taken in the order of decreasing heat flux from 80 kW m⁻² to 10 kW m⁻² with an interval of 10 kW m⁻² in the pool temperature at 7 °C. HTCs of nonazeotropic mixtures of HFC32/HFC134a, HFC125/HFC134a, and HFC32/HFC125/HFC134a showed a reduction of HTCs as much as 40% from the ideal values while the near azeotropic mixture of HFC32/HFC125 did not show the reduction. Four of the well known correlations were compared against the present data for binary mixtures. Stephan and Körner's and Schlünder's correlations yielded a good agreement with a deviation of less than 10% but they can not be easily extended to multi-component mixtures of more than three components. A new correlation was developed utilizing only the phase equilibrium data and physical properties. A regression analysis was carried out to account for the reduction of HTCs and the final correlation, which can be easily extended to multi-component mixtures of more than three components, yielded a deviation of 7% for all binary and ternary mixtures.     

The effect of lubricant concentration, miscibility, and viscosity on R134a pool boiling

This paper presents pool boiling heat transfer data for 12 different R134a/lubricant mixtures and pure R134a on a Turbo-BII™-HP surface. The mixtures were designed to examine the effects of lubricant mass fraction, viscosity, and miscibility on the heat transfer performance of R134a. The magnitude of the effect of each parameter on the heat transfer was quantified with a regression analysis. The mechanistic cause of each effect was given based on new theoretical interpretation and/or one from the literature. The model illustrates that large improvements over pure R134a heat transfer can be obtained for R134a/lubricant mixtures with small lubricant mass fraction, high lubricant viscosity, and a large critical solution temperature (CST). The ratio of the heat flux of the R134a/lubricant mixture to that of the pure R134a for fixed wall superheat was given as a function of pure R134a heat flux for all 12 mixtures. The lubricant that had the largest CST with R134a exhibited the greatest heat transfer: 100%±20% greater than that of pure R134a. By contrast, the heat transfer of the mixture with the lubricant that had the smallest viscosity and the smallest CST with R134a was 55%±9% less than that of pure R134a. High-speed films of the pure and mixture pool boiling were taken to observe the effect of the lubricant on the nucleate boiling.     

The thermal conductivity of liquid 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC 134a)

The thermal conductivity of HFC 134a was measured in the liquid phase with the polarized transient hot-wire technique. The experiments were performed at temperatures from 213 to 293 K at pressures up to 20 MPa. The data were analyzed to obtain correlations in terms of density and pressure. This study is part of an international project coordinated by the Subcommittee on Transport Properties of Commission 1.2 of IUPAC, conducted to investigate the large discrepancies between the results reported by various authors for the transport properties of HFC 134a, using samples of different origin. Two samples of HFC 134a from different sources have been used. The thermal conductivity of the first sample was measured along the saturation line as a function of temperature and the data were presented earlier. The thermal conductivity of the second one, the round-robin sample was measured as a function of pressure and temperature. These data were extrapolated to the saturation line and compared with the data obtained, previously in order to demonstrate the importance of the sample origin and their real purity. The accuracy of the measurements is estimated to be 0.5%. Finally, the results are compared with the existing literature data.     

近共沸制冷剂R134a/R290的研究

当R134a的质量在55%～65%之间时,R134a/R290混合物是近共沸混合物.它可以作为R22的替代制冷剂,并具有优秀的循环性能.这种制冷剂用在空调器中是安全的,并有可能采用矿物油或者烷基苯作为润滑油.     

HCFC123与HFC134a离心式冷水机组特性比较

从离心式冷水机组的特性角度出发,阐述冷水机组2种替代制冷剂HFC134a和HCFC123的选择使用,比较分析这2种制冷剂的性能,及其机组性能和其他一些因素。其中制冷剂的环境特性包括毒性、GWP和ODP等。机组性能特性包括产品能耗比及单位质量制冷量比的比较等。其他特性包括产品尺寸、使用维护等。综合考虑上述因素,尤其应考虑2007年9月修订的《蒙特利尔议定书》加速淘汰HCFCs的现实要求,认为在我国对新的离心机组使用HCFC123应持十分谨慎的态度。     

Comparison of the refrigerants HFC 134a and CFC 12

A comparison of the refrigerants HFC 134a and CFC 12 has been carried out and the results from a theoretical analysis and from tests with an open piston compressor are reported in this paper. The results indicate that the tested compressor will give a greater refrigerating capacity with HFC 134a than with CFC 12 for certain operating conditions. However, the results also indicate an increased operating power for the compressor over the entire temperature range. As a result the coefficient of performance is decreased. Another noticeable result is dependency of the compressor's isentropic efficiency on temperature when using HFC 134a. This might be explained by the properties of the polyalkene glycol oil which is used with HFC 134a. The increased cost of using HFC 134a is justified if the environmental aspects are considered and the practical problems, such as the influence on the material in the refrigeration cycle, can be solved.     

Effect of bulk lubricant concentration on the excess surface density during R134a pool boiling

This paper investigates the effect that the bulk lubricant concentration has on the non-adiabatic lubricant excess surface density on a roughened, horizontal flat pool-boiling surface. Both pool boiling heat transfer data and lubricant excess surface density data are given for pure R134a and three different mixtures of R134a and a polyolester lubricant (POE). A spectrofluorometer was used to measure the lubricant excess density that was established by the boiling of an R134a/POE lubricant mixture on a test surface. The lubricant is preferentially drawn out of the bulk refrigerant/lubricant mixture by the boiling process and accumulates on the surface in excess of the bulk concentration. The excess lubricant resides in an approximately 40 μm layer on the surface and influences the boiling performance. The lubricant excess surface density measurements were used to modify an existing dimensionless excess surface density parameter so that it is valid for different reduced pressures. The dimensionless parameter is a key component for a refrigerant/lubricant pool-boiling model given in the literature. In support of improving the boiling model, both the excess measurements and heat transfer data are provided for pure R134a and three R134a/lubricant mixtures at 277.6 K. The heat transfer data show that the lubricant excess layer causes an average enhancement of the heat flux of approximately 24% for the 0.5% lubricant mass fraction mixture relative to pure R134a heat fluxes between 5 and 20 kW/m². Conversely, both 1 and 2% lubricant mass fraction mixtures experienced an average degradation of approximately 60% in the heat flux relative to pure R134a heat fluxes between approximately 4 and 20 kW/m². This study is an effort toward generating data to support a boiling model to predict whether lubricants degrade or improve boiling performance.     

Critical parameters for HFC134a, HFC32 and HFC125

The vapour-liquid coexistence curves near the critical point for HFC134a (CF₃CH₂F: 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane), HFC32 (CH₂F₂: difluoromethane) and HFC125 (CHF₂CF₃: pentafluoroethane) have been measured by visual observation of the meniscus disappearance. Three sets of 17 experimental results for the saturated liquid or vapour densities for HFC134a, HFC32 and HFC125 have been obtained in the reduced temperature range T/T_c > 0.96 and in the reduced density range 0.4 < ρ/ρ_c < 1.7. From these measurements, the critical temperature and the critical density for these HFCs have been determined in consideration of the meniscus disappearance level as well as the intensity of the critical opalescence. The critical pressure has been calculated by the extrapolation of the vapour-pressure correlation. The uncertainties of the critical temperature, critical density and critical pressure are estimated to be within ± 10 mK, ± 5 kg m⁻³ and ± 9 kPa, respectively.     

与臭氧安全工质R134a互溶的润滑油特性的理论分析及试验

根据制冷剂与润滑油互溶的理论基础分析了与R134a相兼容的润滑油的特性，指出酯类润滑油POEs作为R134a配对的润滑油更为合适；给出R134a系统用润滑油的指标；最后对酯类润滑油与R134a的互溶性做了试验研究，证明R134a与酯类润滑油的互溶性很好。     

HFC134a/HC600a/HC290 mixture a retrofit for CFC12 systems

The environmental concerns with the impact of refrigerant emissions lead to the importance in identifying a long-term alternative to meet all requirements in respect of system performance and service. Even though HFC134a and HC blend (containing 55.2% HC600a and 44.8% HC290 by weight) have been reported to be substitutes for CFC12, they have their own drawbacks in respect of energy efficiency/flammability/serviceability aspects of the system. In this present work, experimental investigation has been carried out on the performance of an ozone friendly refrigerant mixture (containing HFC134a/HC blend) in two low temperature systems (a 165 l domestic refrigerator and a 400 l deep freezer) and two medium temperature systems [a 165 l vending machine (visi cooler) and a 3.5 kW walk-in cooler]. The oil miscibility of the new mixture with mineral oil was also studied and found to be good. The HFC134a/HC blend mixture that contains 9% HC blend (by weight) has better performance resulting in 10–30% and 5–15% less energy consumption (than CFC12) in medium and low temperature system, respectively.     

自然制冷剂R290与冷冻机油的相溶性研究

为了探讨制冷剂R290与冷冻机油的相溶性,建立了一套油与制冷剂相溶性测试实验台,考察了制冷剂R290与矿物油、POE油、PAG油、AB油五种类型冷冻机油的相溶性。结果表明,制冷剂R290在五种冷冻机油中的溶解质量百分含量顺序为：AB油＞环烷基矿物油＞烷基矿物油＞POE油＞PAG油;R290在烷基矿物油、POE油、PAG油中的溶解质量百分含量均随温度的增大而降低,随压力的增大而升高;在环烷基矿物油、POE油、PAG油中的溶解质量百分含量均随运动粘度增大而降低;与运动粘度相比,温度和压力对R290在冷冻机油中的溶解质量百分含量影响较大。     

Nucleate boiling heat transfer coefficients of HCFC22, HFC134a, HFC125, and HFC32 on various enhanced tubes

In this study, nucleate boiling heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) of HCFC22, HFC134a, HFC125, HFC32 were measured on a low fin, Turbo-B, and Thermoexcel-E tubes. All data were taken at the liquid pool temperature of 7 °C on horizontal tubes of 152 mm length and 18.6–18.8 mm outside diameter at heat fluxes of 10–80 kW m⁻² with an interval of 10 kW m⁻² in the decreasing order of heat flux. For a plain and low fin tubes, refrigerants with higher vapor pressures showed higher nucleate boiling HTCs consistently. This was due to the fact that the wall superheat required to activate given size cavities became smaller as pressure increased. For Turbo-B and Thermoexcel-E tubes, HFC125 showed a peculiar behavior exhibiting much reduced HTCs due to its high reduced pressure. The heat transfer enhancement ratios of the low fin, Turbo-B, and Thermoexcel-E tubes were 1.09–1.68, 1.77–5.41, 1.64–8.77 respectively in the range of heat fluxes tested.     

In-tube condensation of mixture of R134a and ester oil: empirical correlations

This paper presents a comparative study of the condensation heat transfer coefficients in a smooth tube when operating with pure refrigerant R134a and its mixture with lubricant Castrol “icematic sw”. The lubricant is synthetic polyol ester based oil commonly used in lubricating the compressors. Two concentrations of R134a-oil mixtures of 2% and 5% oil (by mass) were analysed for a range of saturation temperatures of refrigerant R134a between 35 °C and 45 °C. The mass flow rate of the refrigerant and the mixtures was carefully maintained at 1 g/s, with a vapour quality varying between 1.0 and 0. The effects of vapour quality, flow rate, saturation temperature and temperature difference between saturation and tube wall on the heat transfer coefficient are investigated by analysing the experimental data. The experimental results were then compared with predictions from earlier models [Int J Heat Mass Transfer (1979), 185; 6th Int Heat Transfer Congress 3 (1974) 309; Int J Refrig 18 (1995) 524; Trans ASME 120 (1998) 193]. Finally two new empirical models were developed to predict the two-phase condensation heat transfer coefficient for pure refrigerant R134a and a mixture of refrigerant R134a with Castrol “icematic sw”.     

离心式冷水机组制冷剂选择的探讨

阐述了离心式冷水机组的两种替代制冷剂HFC134a和HCFC123的性能,综合比较了这两种制冷剂的安全性、效率和其它一些因素。从安全性能来讲,HFC134a占有优势;在效率方面,HCFC123略高于HFC134a;由于HCFC123的ODP不为零,根据蒙特利尔议定书这一强制性条约,它将限制禁用;同时京都议定书也要求限制HFCs的排放量。最后文中结合了中国国情对HCFC123的使用进行了风险分析,认为就目前而言,HFC134a应当成为替代剂的主流。     

Effect of refrigerant oil additive on R134a and R123 boiling heat transfer performance

This paper investigates the effect that an additive had on the boiling performance of an R134a/polyolester lubricant (POE) mixture and an R123/naphthenic mineral oil mixture on a roughened, horizontal flat surface. Both pool boiling heat transfer data and lubricant excess surface density data are given for the R134a/POE (98% mass fraction/2% mass fraction) mixture before and after use of the additive. A spectrofluorometer was used to measure the lubricant excess density that was established by the boiling of the R134a/POE lubricant mixture before and after use of the additive. The measurements obtained from the spectrofluorometer suggest that the additive increases the total mass of lubricant on the boiling surface. The heat transfer data show that the additive caused an average and a maximum enhancement of the R134a/POE heat flux between 5 kW m⁻² and 22 kW m⁻² of approximately 73% and 95%, respectively. Conversely, for nearly the same heat flux range, the additive caused essentially no change in the pool boiling heat flux of an R123/mineral oil mixture. The lubricant excess surface density and interfacial surface tension measurements of this study were used to form the basis of a hypothesis for predicting when additives will enhance or degrade refrigerant/lubricant pool boiling.