Prediction of evaporation heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of refrigerant mixtures

A study on the prediction of heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and pressure drop of refrigerant mixtures is reported. HTCs and pressure drops of prospective mixtures to replace R12 and R22 are predicted on the same cooling capacity basis. Results indicate that nucleate boiling is suppressed at qualities greater than 20.0% for all mixtures and evaporation becomes the main heat transfer mechanism. For the same capacity, some mixtures containing R32 and R152a show 8.0–10.0% increase in HTCs. Some mixtures with large volatility difference exhibit as much as 55.0% reduction compared with R12 and R22, caused by mass transfer resistance and property degradation due to mixing (32.0%) and reduced mass flow rates (23.0%). Other mixtures with moderate volatility difference exhibit 20.0–30.0% degradation due mainly to reduced mass flow rates. The overall impact of heat transfer degradation, however, is insignificant if major heat transfer resistance exists in the heat transfer fluid side (air system). If the resistance in the heat transfer fluid side is of the same order of magnitude as that on the refrigerant side (water system), considerable reduction in overall HTC of up to 20% is expected. A study of the effect of uncertainties in transport properties on heat transfer shows that transport properties of liquid affect heat transfer more than other properties. Uncertainty of 10.0% in transport properties causes a change of less than 6% in heat transfer prediction.     

Prediction of in-tube condensation heat transfer characteristics of binary refrigerant mixtures

This study presents a prediction model for the condensation heat transfer characteristics of binary zeotropic refrigerant mixtures inside horizontal smooth tubes. In this model, both the vapor-side and liquid-side mass transfers are considered, and the high flux mass transfer correction factor is used to evaluate mass transfer coefficients. The model was applied to the binary zeotropic refrigerant mixture R134a/R123, which has a large temperature glide. Calculation results showed that the heat transfer degradation of R134a/R123 due to gradients in the mass fraction and temperature is considerable, and depends on the mass fraction of the more volatile component and the vapor mass quality of the refrigerant mixture. By comparison with experimental data, incorporating the present finite mass transfer model for the liquid film side into the calculation algorithm was shown to reasonably well predict the condensation heat transfer coefficients of binary refrigerant mixtures with the mean deviation of about 10.3%. In the present calculations, however, it was also found that the high flux mass transfer correction factor had only a slight effect on the condensation heat transfer.     

A semi-theoretical model for predicting refrigerant/lubricant mixture pool boiling heat transfer

This paper outlines the framework of a semi-theoretical model for predicting the pool boiling heat transfer of refrigerant/lubricant mixtures on a roughened, horizontal, flat pool-boiling surface. The predictive model is based on the mechanisms involved in the formation of the lubricant excess layer that exists on the heat transfer surface. The lubricant accumulates on the surface in excess of the bulk concentration via preferential evaporation of the refrigerant from the bulk refrigerant/lubricant mixture. As a result, excess lubricant resides in a thin layer on the surface and influences the boiling performance, giving either an enhancement or degradation in heat transfer. A dimensionless excess layer parameter and a thermal boundary layer constant were derived and fitted to data in an attempt to generalize the model to other refrigerant/lubricant mixtures. The model inputs include transport and thermodynamic refrigerant properties and the lubricant composition, viscosity, and critical solution temperature with the refrigerant. The model predicts the boiling heat transfer coefficient of three different mixtures of R123 and lubricant to within ±10%. Comparisons of heat transfer predictions to measurements for 13 different refrigerant/lubricant mixtures were made, including two different refrigerants and three different lubricants.     

Performance evaluation of a heat pump cycle using NARMs by a simulation with equations of heat transfer and pressure drop

Simulation analyses for a vapour compression heat pump cycle using nonazeotropic refrigerant mixtures (NARMs) of R22 and R114 are conducted under the condition that the heat pump thermal output and the flow rate and inlet temperatures of the heat sink and source water are given. The heat transfer coefficients of the condensation and evaporation are calculated with empirical correlations proposed by the authors. The validity of the evaluation method and the correlations is demonstrated by comparison with experimental data. The relations between the coefficient of performance (COP) and composition are shown under two conditions: (1) the constant heat transfer length of the condenser and evaporator; and (2) the constant temperature of refrigerant at the heat exchanger inlet. The COP of the NARMs is higher than that of pure refrigerant when the heat transfer lengths of the condenser and evaporator are sufficiently long.     

Experimental study on forced convective boiling heat transfer of pure refrigerants and refrigerant mixtures in a horizontal tube

Convective boiling heat transfer coefficients of pure refrigerants (R22, R32, R134A, R290, and R600a) and refrigerant mixtures (R32/R134a, R290/R600a, and R32/R125) are measured experimentally and compared with Gungor and Winterton correlation. The test section is made of a seamless stainless steel tube with an inner diameter of 7.7 mm and is uniformly heated by applying electric current directly to the tube. The exit temperature of the test section was kept at 12°C ± 0.5°C for all refrigerants in this study. Heat fluxes are varied from 10 to 30 kW m⁻² and mass fluxes are set to the discrete values in the range of 424–742 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ for R22, R32, R134a, R32/R134a, and R32/R125; 265–583 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ for R290, R600a, and R290/R600a. Heat transfer coefficients depend strongly on heat flux at a low quality region and become independent as quality increases. The Gungor and Winterton correlation for pure substances and the Thome-Shakil modification of this correlation for refrigerant mixtures overpredicts the heat transfer coefficients measured in this study.     

An experimental comparison of evaporation and condensation heat transfer coefficients for HFC-134a and CFC-12

Experimental heat transfer coefficients are reported for HFC-134a and CFC-12 during in-tube single-phase flow, evaporation and condensation. These heat transfer coefficients were measured in a horizontal, smooth tube with an inner diameter of 8.0 mm and a length of 3.67 m. The refrigerant in the test-tube was heated or cooled by using water flowing through an annulus surrounding the tube. Evaporation tests were performed for a refrigerant temperature range of 5–15°C with inlet and exit qualities of 10 and 90%, respectively. For condensation tests, the refrigerant temperature ranged from 30 to 50°C, with et and exit qualities of 90 and 10%, respectively. The mass flux was varied from 125 to 400 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ for all tests. For similar mass fluxes, the evaporation and condensation heat transfer coefficients for HFC-134a were significantly higher than those of CFC-12. Specifically, HFC-134a showed a 35–45% increase over CFC-12 for evaporation and a 25–35% increase over CFC-12 for condensation.     

Heat transfer coefficient during two-phase flow boiling of HFC-134a

This paper reports a study of the evaporation of HFC-134a inside smooth, horizontal tubes. Tests were performed with the pure refrigerant and with oil-refrigerant mixtures. The heat flux was varied from 2 to 10 kW m⁻². The inner diameter of the tubes was 12 mm. Two evaporators were used, 4 and 10 m long, and the oil content was varied from 0 to 2.5 mass percentage (synthetic oil, EXP-0275). Oil-free HFC-134a had a higher heat transfer coefficient than HCFC-22 at the same heat and mass fluxes. The effect of oil in the refrigerant is dependent on the heat flux. At 2 and 4 kW m⁻² the heat transfer coefficient had a maximum value for an oil content of around 0.5 mass percentage; no increase is registered for a heat flux of 6 kW m⁻². The heat transfer coefficients for the pure refrigerant were also compared with two existing correlations. The measured heat transfer coefficients averaged over the evaporator deviate less than 40% from the correlation according to Pierre. The heat transfer coefficients at the short evaporator lie within 20%. The correlation given by Jung overestimates the heat transfer coefficient by approximately 50%.     

Experimental studies on the evaporative heat transfer and pressure drop of CO2 in smooth and micro-fin tubes of the diameters of 5 and 9.52 mm

Carbon dioxide among natural refrigerants has gained a considerable attention as an alternative refrigerant due to its excellent thermophysical properties. In-tube evaporation heat transfer characteristics of carbon dioxide were experimentally investigated and analyzed as a function of evaporating temperature, mass flux, heat flux and tube geometry. Heat transfer coefficient data during evaporation process of carbon dioxide were measured for 5 m long smooth and micro-fin tubes with outer diameters of 5 and 9.52 mm. The tests were conducted at mass fluxes of from 212 to 656 kg m⁻² s⁻¹, saturation temperatures of from 0 to 20 °C and heat fluxes of from 6 to 20 kW m⁻². The difference of heat transfer characteristics between smooth and micro-fin tubes and the effect of mass flux, heat flux, and evaporation temperature on enhancement factor (EF) and penalty factor (PF) were presented. Average evaporation heat transfer coefficients for a micro-fin tube were approximately 150–200% for 9.52 mm OD tube and 170–210% for 5 mm OD tube higher than those for the smooth tube at the same test conditions. The effect of pressure drop expressed by measured penalty factor of 1.2–1.35 was smaller than that of heat transfer enhancement.     

Performance and heat transfer characteristics of hydrocarbon refrigerants in a heat pump systemPerformance et caractéristiques de transfert de chaleur des frigorigènes hydrocarbures utilisés dans un système de pompe à chaleur

Performance of a heat pump system using hydrocarbon refrigerants has been investigated experimentally. Single component hydrocarbon refrigerants (propane, isobutane, butane and propylene) and binary mixtures of propane/isobutane and propane/butane are considered as working fluids in a heat pump system. The heat pump system consists of compressor, condenser, evaporator, and expansion device with auxiliary facilities such as evacuating and charging unit, the secondary heat transfer fluid circulation unit, and several measurement units. Performance of each refrigerant is compared at several compressor speeds and temperature levels of the secondary heat transfer fluid. Coefficient of performance (COP) and cooling/heating capacity of hydrocarbon refrigerants are presented. Experimental results show that some hydrocarbon refrigerants are comparable to R22. Condensation and evaporation heat transfer coefficients of selected refrigerants are obtained from overall conductance measurements for subsections of heat exchangers, and compared with those of R22. It is found that heat transfer is degraded for hydrocarbon refrigerant mixtures due to composition variation with phase change. Empirical correlations to estimate heat transfer coefficients for pure and mixed hydrocarbons are developed, and they show good agreement with experimental data. Some hydrocarbon refrigerants have better performance characteristics than R22.     

Refrigerant R134a condensation heat transfer and pressure drop inside a small brazed plate heat exchanger

This paper presents the experimental tests on HFC-134a condensation inside a small brazed plate heat exchanger: the effects of refrigerant mass flux, saturation temperature and vapour super-heating are investigated.A transition point between gravity controlled and forced convection condensation has been found for a refrigerant mass flux around 20 kg/m² s. For refrigerant mass flux lower than 20 kg/m² s, the saturated vapour heat transfer coefficients are not dependent on mass flux and are well predicted by the Nusselt [Nusselt, W., 1916. Die oberflachenkondensation des wasserdampfes. Z. Ver. Dt. Ing. 60, 541–546, 569–575] analysis for vertical surface. For refrigerant mass flux higher than 20 kg/m² s, the saturated vapour heat transfer coefficients depend on mass flux and are well predicted by the Akers et al. [Akers, W.W., Deans, H.A., Crosser, O.K., 1959. Condensing heat transfer within horizontal tubes. Chem. Eng. Prog. Symp. Ser. 55, 171–176] equation. In the forced convection condensation region, the heat transfer coefficients show a 30% increase for a doubling of the refrigerant mass flux. The condensation heat transfer coefficients of super-heated vapour are 8–10% higher than those of saturated vapour and are well predicted by the Webb [Webb, R.L., 1998. Convective condensation of superheated vapour. ASME J. Heat Transfer 120, 418–421] model. The heat transfer coefficients show weak sensitivity to saturation temperature. The frictional pressure drop shows a linear dependence on the kinetic energy per unit volume of the refrigerant flow and therefore a quadratic dependence on the refrigerant mass flux.     

Refrigerant R134a vaporisation heat transfer and pressure drop inside a small brazed plate heat exchanger

This paper presents the experimental heat transfer coefficients and pressure drop measured during refrigerant R134a vaporisation inside a small brazed plate heat exchanger (BPHE): the effects of heat flux, refrigerant mass flux, saturation temperature and outlet conditions are investigated. The BPHE tested consists of 10 plates, 72 mm in width and 310 mm in length, which present a macro-scale herringbone corrugation with an inclination angle of 65° and corrugation amplitude of 2 mm.The experimental results are reported in terms of refrigerant side heat transfer coefficients and frictional pressure drop. The heat transfer coefficients show great sensitivity both to heat flux and outlet conditions and weak sensitivity to saturation temperature. The frictional pressure drop shows a linear dependence on the kinetic energy per unit volume of the refrigerant flow.The experimental heat transfer coefficients are also compared with two well-known correlations for nucleate pool boiling and a correlation for frictional pressure drop is proposed.     

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.     

Condensation and evaporation heat transfer of R410A inside internally grooved horizontal tubes

Heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop were measured for condensation and evaporation of R410A and HCFC22 inside internally grooved tubes. The experiments were performed for a conventional spiral groove tube of 8.01 mm o.d. and 7.30 mm mean i.d., and a herring-born groove tube of 8.00 mm o.d. and 7.24 mm mean i.d. To measure the local heat transfer coefficients and pressure drop, the test section was subdivided into four small sections having 2 m working length. The ranges of refrigerant mass flow density was from 200 to 340 kg/(m² s) for both condensation and evaporation of R410A and HCFC22, and the vapour pressure was 2.41 MPa for condensation and 1.09 MPa for the evaporation of R410A. The obtained heat transfer data for R410A and HCFC22 indicate that the values of the local heat transfer coefficients of the herring-bone grooved tube are about twice as large as those of spiral one for condensation and are slightly larger than those of spiral one for the evaporation. The measured local pressure drop in both condensation and evaporation is well correlated with the empirical equation proposed by the authors.     

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”.     

Design of Rankine Cycles for power generation from evaporating LNG

Of the different ways of using the cold available from the large scale evaporation of LNG the generation of electric power, using the Rankine Cycle, appears the most practical. Fourteen such plants have so far been installed in Japan. The present study was undertaken for a plant at Zeebrugge. Six different cycles using nine different refrigerants and mixtures were examined. The results (Tables 2 and 3) show the importance of using a heat source with the highest possible temperature. No one refrigerant is ideal for all configurations Environmental and safety considerations also affect the choice of refrigerant.     

Thermodynamic performance limit considerations for dual-evaporator, non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture-based domestic refrigerator-freezer systems

Non-azeotropic refrigerant mixtures (NARMs) are investigated for a two-temperature level heat exchange process found in a domestic refrigerator-freezer. Ideal (constant air temperature) heat exchange processes are assumed. The results allow the effects of intercooling between the evaporator refrigerant stream and the condenser outlet stream to be examined in a systematic manner. For the conditions studied, an idealized NARM system will have a limiting coefficient of performance (COP) that is less than that of the best performing pure refrigerant component. However, for non-ideal heat exchange processes (gliding air temperature), the NARM-based system can have a higher limiting COP than a system running on either pure NARM component. Intercooling significantly affects the COP of NARM-based systems; however, depending on the location of ‘pinch points’ in the heat exchangers, only one intercooling heat exchanger may be needed to obtain a NARM's maximum refrigerator COP. The results are presented for mixtures of R22–R142b, R22–R123 and R32–R142b.     

Generalized correlation for condensation of binary mixtures inside a horizontal tube

The effect of mixture composition on the heat transfer coefficient during forced convection condensation of R22 and R12 mixtures inside a horizontal tube has been investigated. The effect of mixture composition is complex and the heat transfer coefficients have not been found to vary in a simple manner with the composition. The generalized correlation which best fits the R22/R12 mixture heat transfer data is:     

A review of hydrocarbon two-phase heat transfer in compact heat exchangers and enhanced geometries

Hydrocarbons are considered as alternative fluids for refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump applications. Pure butane, propane or their mixtures can be adopted, but due to their flammable properties, the systems have to be designed in such a way that the refrigerant charge is minimized. Therefore, compact heat exchangers and enhanced geometries are adopted in such systems. In this paper, the current state of the art for two-phase heat transfer calculations for pure hydrocarbons and their mixtures is reviewed and analysed. Recommendations are proposed for estimating evaporation and condensation heat transfer in various geometries including enhanced tubes as well as compact heat exchangers.     

Liquid dynamic viscosity: A general prediction method with application to refrigerants and refrigerant mixtures

This paper discusses prediction methods which are able to provide the dynamic viscosity, μ, of liquids along the saturation line. The best empirical or semi-empirical correlations existing in the literature are critically presented and checked to outline the usefulness of the new prediction method presented in this paper. Fifty substances (organic compounds, inorganic compounds and pure elements) are examined to show the reliability of the new simple equation which contains three factors (A, B and C) related to the molecular structure and the most important physical properties. The general scheme of prediction is then applied to the particular case of refrigerant fluids belonging to the methane and ethane families and to their binary mixtures. The accuracy of the proposed prediction method is checked using the most recent and reliable experimental dynamic viscosity data available in literature, and the mean and the maximum deviations between predicted and experimental μ values are shown to be less than 3 and 8%, respectively.     

A numerical investigation of flow boiling of non-azeotropic and near-azeotropic binary mixtures

The flow and heat transfer characteristics of binary refrigerant mixtures in a heated horizontal tube were investigated numerically. The pressure drop, temperature profile, and heat transfer coefficient for non-azeotropic and near-azeotropic mixtures of different bulk compositions were obtained. It is found that the non-linear physical properties of the mixtures strongly affect the pressure drop characteristics. Both the fluid properties and mass transfer resistance are responsible for the heat transfer characteristics. The mass transfer resistance has a more significant influence on the nucleate boiling than the convective evaporation for non-azeotropic mixtures, while the resistance can be neglected for near-azeotropic mixtures.