Flow-boiling of R22, R134a, R507, R404A and R410A inside a smooth horizontal tube

Flow boiling heat transfer coefficients of R22, R134a, R507, R404A and R410A inside a smooth horizontal tube (6 mm I.D., 6 m length) were measured at a refrigerant mass flux of about 360 kg/m² s varying the evaporating pressure within the range 3–12 bar, with heat fluxes within the range 11–21 kW/m². The experimental data are discussed in terms of the heat transfer coefficients as a function of the vapour quality. The experimental results clearly show that the heat transfer coefficients of R134a are always higher than those pertaining to R22 (from a minimum of +6 to a maximum of +45%).     

Liquid Thermal Conductivity of Ternary Mixtures of Difluoromethane (R32), Pentafluoroethane (R125), and 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (R134a)1

The thermal conductivities of ternary refrigerant mixtures of difluoromethane (R32), pentafluoroethane (R125), and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134a) in the liquid phase have been measured by the transient hot-wire method with one bare platinum wire. The experiments were performed in the temperature range of 233 to 323 K and in the pressure range of 2 to 20 MPa at various compositions. The measured data are correlated as a function of temperature, pressure, and composition. From the correlation, we can calculate the thermal conductivity of pure refrigerants and their binary or ternary refrigerant mixtures. The uncertainty of the measurements is estimated to be ±2%.     

Thermal conductivity of gaseous fluorocarbon refrigerants R 12, R 13, R 22, and R 23, under pressure

The thermal conductivity of four gaseous fluorocarbon refrigerants has been measured by a vertical coaxial cylinder apparatus on a relative basis. The fluorocarbon refrigerants used and the ranges of temperature and pressure covered are as follows: R 12 (Dichlorodifluoromethane CCl₂F₂): 298.15–393.15 K, 0.1–4.28 MPa R 13 (Chlorotrifluoromethane CClF₃): 283.15–373.15 K, 0.1–6.96 MPa R 22 (Chlorodifluoromethane CHClF₂): 298.15–393.15 K, 0.1–5.76 MPa R 23 (Trifluoromethane CHF₃): 283.15–373.15 K, 0.1–6.96 MPaThe apparatus was calibrated using Ar, N₂, and CO₂ as the standard gases. The uncertainty of the experimental data is estimated to be within 2%, except in the critical region. The behavior of the thermal conductivity for these fluorocarbons is quite similar; thermal conductivity increases with increasing pressure. The temperature coefficient of thermal conductivity at constant pressure, (/T) _p , is positive at low pressures and becomes negative at high pressures. Therefore, the thermal conductivity isotherms of each refrigerant intersect each other in a specific range of pressure. A steep enhancement of thermal conductivity is observed near the critical point. The experimental results are statistically analyzed and the thermal conductivities are expressed as functions of temperature and pressure and of temperature and density.     

Flow condensation heat transfer coefficients of pure refrigerants

Flow condensation heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) of R12, R22, R32, R123, R125, R134a, and R142b were measured experimentally on a horizontal plain tube. The experimental apparatus was composed of three main parts; a refrigerant loop, a water loop and a water-glycol loop. The test section in the refrigerant loop was made of a copper tube with an outside diameter of 9.52 mm and 1 m length. The refrigerant was cooled by cold water passing through an annulus surrounding the test section. All tests were performed at a fixed refrigerant saturation temperature of 40 °C with mass fluxes of 100, 200, 300 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ and heat flux of 7.3–7.7 kW m⁻². Experimental results showed that flow condensation HTCs increase as the quality and mass flux increase. At the same mass flux, the HTCs of R142b and R32 are higher than those of R22 by 8–34% while HTCs of R134a and R123 are similar to those of R22. On the other hand, HTCs of R12 and R125 are lower than those of R22 by 24–30%. Previous correlations predicted the present data satisfactorily with mean deviations of less than 20% substantiating indirectly the reliability of the present data. Finally, a new correlation was developed by modifying Dobson and Chato's correlation with an introduction of a heat and mass flux ratio combined with latent heat of condensation. The correlation showed a mean deviation of 10.7% for all pure halogenated refrigerants' data obtained in this study.     

The thermal conductivity of R22, R142b,R152a,and their mixtures in the liquid state

An experimental apparatus for measuring the thermal conductivity of liquids by the transient hot-wire method was constructed and tested with toluene as a standard liquid. Measurements were performed on R22, R142b, and R152a. The thermal conductivities of mixtures of R142b and R152a with R22 were also measured by varying the weight fraction of R22. Experiments were performed in the range from –50 to 50°C and from 2 to 20 MPa and the measured data are analyzed to obtain a correlation in terms of temperature, pressure, and composition of the mixture. While the thermal conductivity of R22 + R152a mixtures varies monotonously with composition, that of R22 + R142b mixtures turned out to go through an extremum value. The accuracy of our measurements is estimated to be within 2%.Paper dedicated to Professor Joseph Kestin.     

Liquid thermal conductivity of binary mixtures of difluoromethane (R32) and pentafluoroethane (R125)

The thermal conductivities of refrigerant mixtures of difluoromethane (R32) and pentafluoroethane (R125) in the liquid phase are presented. The thermal conductivities were measured with the transient hot-wire method with one bare platinum wire. The experiments were conducted in the temperature range of 233–323 K and in the pressure range of 2–20 MPa. An empirical equation to describe the thermal conductivity of a near-azeotropic mixture, R32+R125, is provided based on the measured 168 thermal conductivity data as a function of temperature and pressure. The dependence of thermal conductivity on the composition at different temperatures and pressures is also presented. The uncertainty of our measurements is estimated to be ±2%. Paper dedicated to Professor Edward A. Mason.     

Thermal conductivity of the new refrigerants R134a,R152a,and R123 measured by the transient hot-wire method

Thermal-conductivity measurements are reported for the new refrigerants R134a, R152a und R123. Transient hot-wire experiments were performed which cover both the liquid and vapor states at temperatures and pressures ranging from?=?20°C to 90°C and fromp=0.1 bar to 60 bar respectively. The results are correlated with density and temperature. In addition temperature dependent correlations are presented for (i) saturated liquid, (ii) saturated vapor, (iii) ideal gas (which equals approximately vapor state at ambient pressure). Finally the results are compared with data from the literature and also with the thermal conductivities of R12 and R11.     

Measurements of the thermal conductivity of R22, R123, and R134a in the temperature range 250–340 K at pressures up to 30 MPa

This paper reports new, absolute measurements of the thermal conductivity of the liquid refrigerants R22, R123, and R134a in the temperature range 250–340 K at pressures from saturation up to 30 MPa. The measurements, performed in a transient hot-wire instrument employing two anodized tantalum wires as the heat source, have an estimated uncertainty of ±0.5%. A recently developed semiempirical scheme is employed to correlate successfully the thermal conductivity and the viscosity of these refrigerants, as a function of their density.     

Vapor pressures of new fluorocarbons

The vapor pressures of four fluorocarbons have been measured at the following temperature ranges: R123 (2,2-dichloro-l,l,l-trifluoroethane), 273–457 K; R123a (1,2-dichloro-1,1,2-trifluoroethane), 303–458 K; R134a (1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane), 253–373 K; and R132b (l,2-dichloro-l,l-difluoroethane), 273–398 K. Determinations of the vapor pressure were carried out by a constant-volume apparatus with an uncertainty of less than 1.0%. The vapor pressures of R123 and R123a are very similar to those of R11 over the whole experimental temperature range, but the vapor pressures of R134a and R132b differ somewhat from those of R12 and R113, respectively, as the temperature increases. The numerical vapor pressure data can be fitted by an empirical equation using the Chebyshev polynomial with a mean deviation of less than 0.3 %.     

Thermal conductivity of R32 and its mixture with R134a

The liquid thermal conductivity of R32 (CH₂F₂) and R134a (CF₃CH₂F) was measured in the range from 223 to 323 K and from 2 to 20 MPa by the transient hot-wire method. The thermal conductivity of the R32+R134a mixture was also measured in the same range by varying the mass fraction of R32. The measured data are analyzed to obtain a correlation in terms of temperature, pressure and composition of the mixture. The uncertainty of our measurements is estimated to be within ±2%.Paper presented at the Twelfth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, June 19–24, 1994, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.     

Flow condensation heat transfer coefficients of R22, R134a, R407C, and R410A inside plain and microfin tubes

Flow condensation heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) of R22, R134a, R407C, and R410A inside horizontal plain and microfin tubes of 9.52 mm outside diameter and 1 m length were measured at the condensation temperature of 40 °C with mass fluxes of 100, 200, and 300 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ and a heat flux of 7.7–7.9 kW m⁻². For a plain tube, HTCs of R134a and R410A were similar to those of R22 while HTCs of R407C are 11–15% lower than those of R22. For a microfin tube, HTCs of R134a were similar to those of R22 while HTCs of R407C and R410A were 23–53% and 10–21% lower than those of R22. For a plain tube, our correlation agreed well with the present data for all refrigerants exhibiting a mean deviation of 11.6%. Finally, HTCs of a microfin tube were 2–3 times higher than those of a plain tube and the heat transfer enhancement factor decreased as the mass flux increased for all refrigerants 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”.     

Transport properties of refrigerants R32, R125, R134a, and R125+R32 mixtures in and beyond the critical regionPropriétés de transport des frigorigènes R32, R125, R134a et des mélanges de R125+R32 dans et au-delà la région critique

A practical representation for the transport coefficients of pure refrigerants R32, R125, R134a, and R125+R32 mixtures is presented which is valid in the vapor–liquid critical region. The crossover expressions for the transport coefficients incorporate scaling laws near the critical point and are transformed to regular background values far away from the critical point. The regular background parts of the transport coefficients of pure refrigerants are obtained from independently fitting pure fluid data. For the calculation of the background contributions of the transport coefficients in binary mixtures, corresponding-states correlations are used. The transport property model is compared with thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity data for pure refrigerants, and with thermal conductivity data for R125+R32 mixtures. The average relative deviations between the calculated values of the thermal conductivity and experimental data are less than 4–5% at densities ρ0.1ρ_c and temperatures up to T=2T_c.     

Viscosity Measurements of Ammonia, R32, and R134a. Vapor Buoyancy and Radial Acceleration in Capillary Viscometers

The saturated liquid viscosity of ammonia (NH₃) and of the hydrofluorocarbons, difluoromethane (CH₂F₂, R32) and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (CF₃–CH₂F, R134a), was measured in a sealed gravitational viscometer with a straight vertical capillary. The combined temperature range was from 250 to 350 K. The estimated uncertainty of the ammonia measurements is ±3.3 and ±2 to 2.4% for the hydrofluorocarbons with a coverage factor of two. The results are compared with literature data which have been measured with capillary viscometers of different design. Agreement within the combined experimental uncertainty is achieved when some of the literature data sets are corrected for the vapor buoyancy effect and when a revised radial acceleration correction is applied to data which were obtained in viscometers with coiled capillaries. An improved correction for the radial acceleration is proposed. It is necessary to extend inter-national viscometry standards to sealed gravitational capillary instruments because the apparent inconsistencies between refrigerant viscosity data from different laboratories cannot be explained by contaminated samples.     

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.     

Surface tension of low GWP refrigerants R1243zf,R1234ze(Z), and R1233zd(E)

The surface tension of R1243zf, R1234ze(Z), and R1233zd(E) were measured at temperatures from 270 K to 360 K by an experimental apparatus based on the differential capillary rise method. The deviation between the measured surface tension of R134a and R245fa and the calculated surface tension with REFPROP 9.1 (Lemmon et al., 2013) was ±0.13 mN m⁻¹, which is less than the estimated propagated uncertainty in surface tension of ±0.2 mN m⁻¹. Eleven points, thirteen points, and ten points of surface tension data were provided for R1243zf, R1234ze(Z), and R1233zd(E), respectively, in this paper. The measured data and the estimated surface tension using the methods of Miller, 1963, Miqueu et al., 2000, and Di Nicola et al. (2011) agree within the standard deviation of ±0.43 mN m⁻¹. The empirical correlations that represent the measured data within ±0.14 mN m⁻¹ were proposed for each refrigerant.     

Thermal conductivity of halogenated ethanes,HFC-134a,HCFC-123, and HCFC-141b

The gaseous thermal conductivity of three CFC alternatives, HFC-134a (1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane), HCFC-123 (1,1-dichloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane), and HCFC-141b (1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane), has been measured in the temperature ranges 273–363 K (HFC-134a) and 313–373 K (HCFC-123, HCFC-141b) at pressures up to saturation. The measurements were performed with a new improved transient hot-wire apparatus. The uncertainty of the experimental data is estimated to be within 1%. The gaseous thermal conductivity obtained in this work together with the liquid thermal-conductivity data from the literature were correlated with temperature and density by an empirical equation based on the excess thermal-conductivity concept. The equation is found to represent the experimental results with average deviations of 2.5 % for HFC-134a, 0.75% for HCFC-123, and 0.55% for HCFC-141b, respectively.     

Thermophysical properties of refrigerant R134a

Experimental results of measurements of the thermodynamic and transport properties of refrigerant R134a are presented for the temperature range 240–400 K and pressures up to 89 bar. The thermal properties of the saturated refrigerant were also determined. The results from this study showed that the dependence of viscosity on temperature near the critical region was nonlinear. This observation shows that errors resulting from using previous literature data for design purposes could vary from about 1.5% at 251 K to 30% at 343 K. A computer (IBM PC) was used to obtain empirical relationships for evaluating the thermophysical properties of R134a based on various sets of independent variables.     

Experimental investigation of the performance of R22, R407C and R410A in several capillary tubes for air-conditioners

The objective of this study is to present test results and to develop a dimensionless correlation on the basis of the experimental data of adiabatic capillary tubes for R22 and its alternatives, R407C (R32/125/134a, 23/25/52 wt.%) and R410A (R32/125, 50/50 wt.%). Several capillary tubes with different length and inner diameter were selected as test sections. Mass flow rate through the capillary tube was measured for several condensing temperatures and various degrees of subcooling at the inlet of each capillary tube. Experimental conditions for the condensing temperatures were selected as 40, 45 and 50°C, and the degrees of subcooling were adjusted to 1.5, 5 and 10°C. Mass flow rates of R407C and R410A were compared with those of R22 for the same test conditions. The results for straight capillary tubes were also compared with those of coiled capillary tubes. A new correlation based on Buckingham π theorem to predict the mass flow rate through the capillary tubes was presented based on extensive experimental data for R22, R407C and R410A. Dimensionless parameters were chosen considering the effects of tube geometry, capillary tube inlet conditions, and refrigerant properties. Dimensionless correlation predicted experimental data within relative deviations ranging from −12% to +12% for every test condition for R22, R407C and R410A. The predictions by the developed correlation were in good agreement with the results in the open literature.     

Thermal conductivity of a wide range of alternative refrigerants measured with an improved guarded hot-plate apparatus

The thermal conductivity of the refrigerants R22, R123, R134a, R142b, R143a, and R152a has been determined as a function of temperature in the range from 300 to 460 K. Measurements were carried out at atmospheric pressure with an improved guarded hot-plate apparatus. The width of the instrument's gas layer and the temperature difference across the metering section were varied to detect any stray heat transfer. Radiation correction factors were derived from IR absorption spectra. The uncertainty of the measurements is estimated to be 2% at a standard deviation of less than 0.1%. All values are correlated with respect to temperature in the range covered. The equations are found to represent the results with average deviations of 1%. Our data sets are compared with corresponding hot wire results. In contrast to the generally preferred hot wire technique, with its possible electrical and chemical interactions between the wire and the polar refrigerant, there are no such difficulties using a guarded hot-plate apparatus. Our data sets may thus contribute to the discussions on discrepancies in thermal conductivity values from various authors using hot wire as one particular method.Paper presented at the Twelfth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, June 19–24, 1994, Boulder, Colorado, USA.