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.     

Condensation heat transfer of binary refrigerant mixtures of R22 and R114 inside a horizontal tube with internal spiral grooves

An experimental study of the condensation of pure and mixed refrigerants of R22 and R114 inside a spirally grooved horizontal copper tube has been carried out. A double-tube counterflow condenser in the pressure range 3–21 bar and at a mass flow-rate 26–70 kg h⁻¹ was used. The axial distributions of refrigerant, tube wall and cooling water temperatures, wall heat flux density and vapour quality are shown graphically. The variation of tube wall temperature around the circumference of the tube is also shown. The local Nusselt number depends on the molar fraction, whereas the average Nusselt number can be correlated by an equation which is modified from a previously established equation for pure refrigerants inside a horizontal smooth tube. The frictional pressure drop evaluated is correlated well by the Lockhart-Martinelli parameters and is independent of the concentration of the mixture.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Condensing heat transfer for R114/R12 mixtures on horizontal finned tubes

Two titanium tubes with external fins were tested in the horizontal orientation to determine heat transfer performance with R114, R12, and selected non-azeotropic mixtures of the two condensing on the outside surface. For the single-component situation, data were in excellent agreement with predictions from a modified Katz-Keller method, and little performance distinction was found between the tubes or between the pure refrigerants. All mixtures depressed performance below single-component levels, with even low second-component concentrations causing substantial degradation (up to 55% performance reduction for 5% R12). Gas chromatograph composition analyses of vapour from the condenser shell showed elevated concentrations of the more volatile component (R12), evidence that an added transport resistance contributed to the observed mixture performance reductions. If previously suggested benefits of mixtures in heat pump applications are to be realized, the associated condensers should be in a configuration so as to mitigate these performance penalties.     

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.     

Condensation heat transfer coefficients of halogenated binary refrigerant mixtures on a smooth tube

In this study, external condensation heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) of nonazeotropic refrigerant mixtures of HFC32/HFC134a and HFC134a/HCFC123 at various compositions were measured on a horizontal smooth tube of a 19 mm outside diameter. All data were taken at the vapor temperature of 39 °C with a wall subcooling of 3–8 °C. Test results showed that HTCs of the tested mixtures were 19.4–85.1% lower than the ideal values calculated by the mole fraction weighting of the HTCs of the pure components. A thermal resistance due to the diffusion vapor film seemed to be partly responsible for the significant reduction of HTCs with these nonazeotropic mixtures.     

Prediction of heat transfer coefficient during condensation of water and R-134a on single horizontal integral-fin tubes

This paper presents a few salient features of an investigation carried out to study the heat transfer augmentation during condensation of water and R-134a vapor on horizontal integral-fin tubes. The experimental investigation was performed on two different experimental set-ups for water and R-134a. The test-sections were manufactured by machining fins over plain copper tubes of 24.4 ± 0.6 mm outside diameter. The performance of two types of finned tubes viz. circular integral-fin tubes (CIFTs) and spine integral-fin tubes (SIFTs) was studied for the condensation of water and R-134a. These tubes were positioned one by one inside the test-condenser to perform the experiments. All together the experiments were conducted for the condensation on 10 different test-section tubes. With the help of the experimental results, authors have developed an empirical equation. This equation predicts the condensing heat transfer coefficient from their own experimental data for the condensation over CIFTs and SIFTs within a range of ± 15% and experimental data of other thirteen investigators in a range of ± 35% for condensation of water and different refrigerants.     

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.     

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%.     

Refrigerant charge, pressure drop, and condensation heat transfer in flattened tubes

Horizontal smooth and microfinned copper tubes with an approximate diameter of 9 mm were successively flattened in order to determine changes in flow field characteristics as a round tube is altered into a flattened tube profile. Refrigerants R134a and R410A were investigated over a mass flux range from 75 to 400 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ and a quality range from approximately 10–80%. For a given refrigerant mass flow rate, the results show that a significant reduction in refrigerant charge is possible. Pressure drop results show increases of pressure drop at a given mass flux and quality as a tube profile is flattened. Heat transfer results indicate enhancement of the condensation heat transfer coefficient as a tube is flattened. Flattened tubes with an 18° helix angle displayed the highest heat transfer coefficients. Smooth tubes and axial microfin tubes displayed similar levels of heat transfer enhancement. Heat transfer enhancement is dependent on the mass flux, quality and tube profile.     

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.     

Condensation heat transfer coefficients of binary HFC mixtures on low fin and Turbo-C tubes

In this study, external condensation heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) are measured for nonazeotropic refrigerant mixtures (NARMs) of HFC32/HFC134a and HFC134a/HCFC123 on a low fin and Turbo-C tubes. All measurements are taken at the vapor temperature of 39 °C with the wall subcooling of 3–8 °C. Test results showed that condensation HTCs of NARMs on enhanced tubes were severely degraded from the ideal values showing up to 96% decrease. HTCs of the mixtures on Turbo-C tube were degraded more than those on low fin tube such that HTCs of the mixtures at the same composition were similar regardless of the tube. The mixture with larger gliding temperature differences (GTDs), HFC134a/HCFC123, showed a larger heat transfer reduction from the ideal values than the mixture with smaller GTDs, HFC32/HFC134a. Heat transfer enhancement ratios of the enhanced tubes with NARMs were almost 2 times lower than those with pure refrigerants and they decreased more as the GTDs of the mixtures increased.     

Effect of fin spacing on the heat transfer and pressure drop of a two-row plate fin and tube heat exchanger

The analogy between heat and mass transfer (using the naphthalene sublimation technique to measure the mass transfer coefficient) was used to investigate the heat transfer capabilities of various two-row plate fin and tube heat exchanger configurations. Average transfer coefficients were determined from measurements of the mass transferred in an analogical system consisting of a pair of naphthalene plates and an array of spacer discs. The analogical system modelled a typical heat exchanger flow passage. Special attention was given to the effect of fin spacing on heat transfer capabilities. A physical interpretation of the experimental data has been given and new conclusions have been drawn. The pressure drop of the heat exchanger configurations has also been investigated.     

Heat transfer and pressure drop in a plate-type evaporator

A plate-type evaporator, working with natural refrigerant circulation, has been investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Motivated by the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances, HCFC22 was compared to HFC134a and two zeotropic refrigerant mixtures. The effect of different separator liquid levels, i.e. refrigerant flows, and its influence on heat transfer was also studied. The investigated plate-type evaporator consists of thirteen vertical flow channels and its size is 3.0 m × 0.5 m. The heat source for the evaporator is a falling water film on the outside of the plate. Experimental studies have been carried out using a test facility that enabled detailed measurements of heat transfer and pressure drop. Experiments were compared to results from a calculation method that simultaneously calculates heat transfer and pressure drop in a variable number of steps along the evaporator. The calculation method is based on a pressure drop correlation proposed by the VDI-Wärmeatlas and a heat transfer correlation for vertical tubes proposed by Steiner and Taborek. For different evaporator duties, heat transfer was over predicted by 12% for pure fluids by 15% for mixtures. Calculated pressure drops were well within ±5% of the measured values. Changes in heat transfer due to different flows were closely predicted by the proposed calculation method.     

Heat transfer of oil-contaminated HFC134a in a horizontal evaporator

The introduction of chlorine-free refrigerants to the market requires experimental investigations of their behaviour in heat pumps and refrigerators. One particular area of interest is the effect of the new oils on the heat transfer in evaporators and condensers. Oil can either increase or decrease the heat transfer coefficient. This paper presents the results from an experimental investigation of the effect of three different ester-based oils on the heat transfer of HFC134a in a horizontal evaporator. The tests were carried out at heat fluxes between 2 and 8 kW m⁻² (corresponding to mass fluxes between approximately 40 and 170 kg s⁻¹ m⁻²). The evaporation temperature was varied from−10 to +10°C. The global oil concentration ranged from 0 to 4.5 mass percentage based on the total liquid flow. The heat transfer coefficient decreased in most of the cases. The results indicate that the decrease seems to depend on the viscosity of the oil. The decrease can fairly well be estimated with the correlation for pure refrigerants by Shah if the viscosity of the mixture is used in the calculations. The data for the oil-contaminated refrigerant also agree well with data for pure refrigerants in a plot of α_tp/α_lo^* versus the inverse Martinelli-Lockhart parameter when α_lo^* is calculated with a modified Dittus-Boelter correlation and the mixture viscosity is used in the calculations. The heat transfer is found to increase when introducing oil in the special cases where the flow rate is low and the viscosity is low (oil A, 2 and 4 kW m⁻² oil B, 6kW m⁻² at +10°C). This is most likely due to surface tension effects. It has been suggested that the increased surface tension leads to a better tube wetting and thus an increased heat transfer.     

A simplified cycle simulation model for the performance rating of refrigerants and refrigerant mixtures

A simulation program, CYCLE11, which is useful for the preliminary evaluation of the performance of refrigerants and refrigerant mixtures in the vapour compression cycle is described. The program simulates a theoretical vapour-compression cycle and departures from the theoretical cycle that occur in a heat pump and in a refrigerator. The cycles are prescribed in terms of the temperatures of the external heat-transfer fluids with the heat exchangers generalized by an average effective temperature difference. The isethalpic expansion process is assumed. The program includes a rudimentary model of a compressor and a representation of the suction line and liquid line heat exchange. Refrigerant thermodynamic properties are calculated by using the Carnahan-Starling-DeSantis equation of state. Refrigerant transport properties are not included in the simulations. The program can generate merit ratings of refrigerants for which limited measured data are available. An example of simulation results stresses the need for careful application of simplified models and consideration for the assumptions involved.     

Interaction parameter, k12, for non-azeotropic refrigerant mixtures

The interaction parameter, k₁₂, is determined from the experimental equilibrium data obtained by other authors. Vapour-liquid equilibria for binary mixtures of halocarbon refrigerants are predicted using the Redlich-Kwong-Soave equation of state. The mixtures considered are: R14-R23, R23-R12, R13-R12, R13-R11, R13B1-R22, R13B1-R152a, R22-RC318, R12-RC318, R12-R11.