Effects of coil diameter and pitch on the flow characteristics of alternative refrigerants flowing through adiabatic helical capillary tubes

This paper presents the effects of various geometries of helical capillary tubes on the flow characteristics of alternative refrigerants flowing through adiabatic helical capillary tubes. The theoretical model is based on the conservation of mass, energy and momentum of fluids in the capillary tube. The two-phase flow model developed was based on a homogenous flow assumption. The model was validated by comparing it with the experimental data of published in literature for R-22, particularly various pairs of refrigerants. It was found conventional refrigerants had lower capillary lengths than alternative refrigerants. For all pairs, the numerical results showed that the traditional refrigerants consistently gave lower pressure drops for both single-phase and two-phase flows, which resulted in longer tube lengths. The results show that coil diameter variation (less than 300 mm) for helical capillary tube geometries affected the length of helical capillary tubes. However, pitch variation (more than 300 mm) had no significant effect on the length of helical capillary tubes. This adiabatic helical capillary tube model can be used to integrate system models working with alternative refrigerants for design and optimisation.     

Correlations for sizing adiabatic capillary tubes

This paper presents new correlations for the practical sizing of adiabatic capillary tubes used as an expansion device in small refrigerating and air-conditioning systems. The governing equation based on conservation of mass, energy and momentum is modelled. The developed model is used as an effective tool for studying the effects of relevant parameters on capillary tube length and developing the correlation. In this model, Colebrook's equation is used to determine the friction factor. The two-phase viscosity models are varied depending on the type of refrigerant and are based on the recommendations from past research. By varying the model input parameters, it is possible to show that for all refrigerants, the length decreases as the mass flow rate increases, increases as subcooling increases, increases as tube diameter increases, decreases as tube roughness increases and increases as condensing temperature increases. After the developed model is validated by comparing with existing experimental data, correlations for sizing capillary tubes, which contains the relevant parameters, namely condensing temperature, degree of subcooling, refrigerant mass flow rate, capillary tube inner diameter and roughness, are presented. Different from previous studies, correlations are presented for an extensive number of refrigerants and a wide range of operations. The developed correlations are validated with previous studies and found to agree well with the experimental data. The correlations can be used to integrate with system models working with alternative refrigerants for practical design and optimization. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Two-phase flow model of refrigerants flowing through helically coiled capillary tubes

This paper presents a numerical study of the flow characteristics of refrigerants flowing through adiabatic helically coiled capillary tubes. The theoretical model is based on conservation of mass, energy and momentum of the fluids in the capillary tube. The two-phase flow model developed was based on the homogeneous flow assumption. The viscosity model was also based on recommendations from the literature. The developed model can be considered as an effective tool for designing and optimizing capillary tubes working with newer alternative refrigerants. The model is validated by comparison with the experimental data of Kim et al. (2002) for R-22, R-407C and R-410A, and Zhou and Zhang (2006) for R-22. The results obtained from the present model show reasonable agreement with the experimental data. The proposed model can be used to design helical capillary tubes working with various refrigerants.     

Numerical analysis of adiabatic flow of refrigerant through a spiral capillary tube

In the present work, a homogenous model including the metastable liquid region has been developed for the adiabatic flow of refrigerant through the spiral capillary tube. In order to develop the model, both liquid region and two phase region have been discretized into infinitesimal segments to take into account the effect of varying radius of curvature of spiral tube on the friction factor. The effect of the pitch of spiral on the mass flow rate of refrigerant and capillary tube length has been investigated. A comparison of flow characteristics of refrigerant R22 and its alternatives, i.e., R407C and R410A has been made at different operating conditions at the inlet of the capillary tube and it has been found that the flow characteristics of R22 and R407C are almost similar for a given condenser pressure and degree of subcooling at the inlet of capillary tube.     

Numerical simulation of gas-contaminated refrigerant two-phase flow through adiabatic capillary tubes

An unfavorable effect of gas impurities on the throttling process inside a small-diameter tube, i.e. a capillary tube, has been studied in detail. A special testing capillary tube equipped with precise temperature and pressure sensors has been used for an experimental investigation of the capillary flow of a saturated fluorocarbon refrigerant, R218, contaminated by dissolved nitrogen. The gas impurities significantly affected the throttling process, since the two-phase flow started notably earlier than in the case of pure refrigerant flow. Moreover, the gas contamination resulted in a decreased mass flow rate of refrigerant delivered through the capillary tube. A comprehensive numerical model has been developed to simulate the capillary flow of gas-contaminated refrigerant. The model takes into account two coincident thermodynamic events: the throttling process of the refrigerant (solvent) and the gradual release of the dissolved gas impurities (solute) from the refrigerant liquid phase. The gas release is in principle described by using the temperature correlation of the Henry’s law constant. The model considers adiabatic, thermodynamically equilibrated capillary flow with homogeneous two-phase flow. The numerical simulation is in good agreement with our experimental data measured for R218 contaminated by nitrogen.     

Numerical modelling of alternative refrigerants to HCFC‐22 through capillary tubes

In this paper, a numerical model is presented for predicting capillary tube performance using new alternative refrigerants to HCFC‐22. The model has been established after the fluid flow conservation equations written for a homogeneous refrigerant fluid flow under saturated, sub‐cooled and two‐phase conditions. Numerical results showed that the proposed model in question fairly simulated our experimental data and fairly predicted the capillary tube behaviour under different conditions. The results also indicated that a system using R‐407C would experience smaller pressure drop compared to R‐410A and R‐410B. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A parametric study of refrigerant flow in non-adiabatic capillary tubes

This paper presents a parametric analysis of refrigerant flow through capillary tube–suction line heat exchangers, used in domestic refrigeration systems. The analysis is based on a homogeneous model developed by the authors. The model is based on the numerical solution of fundamental equations of conservation of mass, momentum and energy of refrigerant flow. The refrigerant flow characteristics are investigated by varying thermodynamic (e.g. condensing temperature, evaporating temperature, inlet sub-cooling, suction line superheat) and geometric parameters (e.g. inlet adiabatic length, heat exchanger length and internal diameter of the capillary tube) of the capillary flow. The source of divergence in the numerical solution process is found to be the discontinuity in non-adiabatic capillary tube flow characteristics caused by re-condensation of the refrigerant within the capillary heat exchanger.     

Prediction of capillary tubes with alternative refrigerants to CFC‐502

A numerical model is presented in this paper, for predicting capillary tube performance using new alternative refrigerants to CFC‐502. The model has been established after the fluid flow conservation equations written for a homogeneous azeotropic refrigerant fluid flow under saturated, sub‐cooled and two‐phase conditions. The study was limited to the following azeotropic mixtures; R‐507, R‐404A, and quaternary mixture (R32/R125/R134a/R143a). Numerical results showed that the proposed model in question fairly simulated our experimental data and fairly predicted the capillary tube behaviour under different conditions. The results also indicated that a system using R‐507 would experience smaller pressure drop across the capillary compared to the other alternatives under question. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis on the adiabatic flow of R407C in capillary tube

In this paper the adiabatic flow in the capillary tube is analyzed and modeled for R407C, which is a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant and one of the alternatives to R22. The equations of energy, continuity and pressure drop through a capillary tube are presented. A mathematical model of the sub-cooled flow region and the two-phase flow region is developed. The results of the calculation show that this numerical model is capable of providing an effective means to analyze components’ performance in optimizing and controlling a R407C air-conditioning system.     

Non-adiabatic capillary tube flow: a homogeneous model and process description

This paper presents a homogeneous model of refrigerant flow through capillary tube–suction line heat exchangers, which are widely used in small vapour compression refrigeration systems. The homogeneous model is based on fundamental conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy. These equations are solved simultaneously through iterative process. Churchill’s correlation [3] is used to calculate single-phase friction factors and Lin et al. [6] correlation for two-phase friction factors. The single-phase heat transfer coefficient is calculated by Gnielinski’s equation [5] while two-phase flow heat transfer coefficient is assumed to be infinite. The model is validated with previous experimental and analytical results. The present model can be used in either design calculation (calculate the capillary tube length for given refrigerant mass flow rate) or simulation calculation (calculate the refrigerant mass flow rate for given capillary tube length). The simulation model is used to understand the refrigerant flow behaviour inside the non-adiabatic capillary tubes.     

A model application to study circuiting and operation in CO2 refrigeration coils

In this paper a previously developed model has been used to show that there are cases where refrigerant circuiting is necessary. Most hydro fluorocarbons can accommodate only limited tube lengths due to excessive pressure drop in refrigeration coils as is shown here with R507A, commonly employed in supermarkets. A study of the effect of circuiting on coil operation has then been performed for three different configurations of evaporation paths, using CO₂ as a working fluid. The basic unit consisted of a single circuit forming the whole coil unit. The other two configurations had, respectively, two and three circuits corresponding to the same total area and tube length as the basic unit. Comparison between these three units was made using the basic unit as a reference. The analysis was based on the numerical model that calculates incrementally parameter distributions for air across the coil and for refrigerant inside the tubes. Circuiting which consisted in defining refrigerant flow paths and varying flow rates within the coil was shown to affect performance and general operational coil behaviour, particularly the refrigerant pressure drop and the corresponding temperature glides. It is possible to use longer circuits with CO₂ (in comparison to other refrigerants), therefore reducing their number for a given capacity.     

Adiabatic Two-Phase Pressure Drop of Refrigerants in Small Channels

The adiabatic pressure drop of two-phase refrigerant flow in small channels has been investigated. A rectangular channel with d _h = 148.0 μm has been tested with four refrigerants: R134a, R410A, propane (R290), and ammonia (R717). These data have been combined with data taken from five different channels, with d _h varying from 70 μm to 305 μm, of R134a. The measured pressure drops have been compared to many published separated-flow and homogeneous pressure drop models. A new correlation for C, the Chisholm parameter, has been developed based on the Reynolds number of the vapor phase (which contains the majority of the kinetic energy) and the dimensionless grouping ψ—a ratio of viscous to surface tension effects taken from the analysis of capillary flow performed by Sou and Griffith (1964). This allows the new correlation to account for the varying fluid properties (including surface tension) that are found in the different refrigerants. The new correlation takes flow regime into account by means of a Weber number based flow transition criteria, following the flow map of Akbar et al. (2003).     

Experimental analysis of capillary tubes behaviour with some HCFC‐22 alternative refrigerants

In this paper, an experimental study is presented to enhance our understanding of the capillary tube behaviour using some new alternative refrigerants to HCFC‐22. An experimental setup fully instrumented was used to gather the behaviour of three different capillary tube geometries with R‐410B, R‐407C, and R‐410A under various conditions; saturated, sub‐cooled and two‐phase. Experimental data showed that R‐410B has the highest pressure drop along the capillary tubes compared to the alternatives under question and also has the highest temperature drop along the capillary tube. The data also showed that R‐407C has similar capillary behaviour to that of R‐22. The results clearly demonstrated that the pressure drop is significantly influenced by the diameter of the capillary tube, the type of refrigerant and inlet conditions to the capillary tube. The data also showed that the capillary pressure drop decreases with the increase of the capillary diameter. There is clear evidence that the component concentration of the refrigerant mixture significantly affects the capillary tube behaviour and particularly the pressure drop along the capillary tube length. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flow characteristics of refrigerants flowing through capillary tubes – A review

A comprehensive review of the literature on the flow of various refrigerants through the capillary tubes of different geometries viz. straight and coiled and flow configurations viz. adiabatic and diabatic, has been discussed in this paper. The paper presents in chronological order the experimental and numerical investigations systematically under different categories. Flow aspects like effect of coiling and effect of oil in the refrigerants on the mass flow rate through the capillary tube have been discussed. Furthermore, the phenomenon of metastability and the correlations to predict the underpressure of vaporization have also been discussed. The paper provides key information about the range of input parameters viz. tube diameter, tube length, surface roughness, coil pitch and coil diameter, inlet subcooling and condensing pressure or temperature. Other information includes type of refrigerants used, correlations proposed and methodology adopted in the analysis of flow through the capillary tubes of different geometries operating under adiabatic and diabatic flow conditions. It has been found from the review of the literature that there is a lot more to investigate for the flow of various refrigerants through different capillary tube geometries.     

Numerical modeling of two-phase refrigerant flow through adiabatic capillary tubes

Literature shows that the homogeneous flow assumption has been commonly used in most of the adiabatic capillary tube modeling studies due to its simplicity. The slip effect between the two phases was often not considered in this small diameter capillary tube. This paper attempts to exploit the possibility of applying the equilibrium two-phase drift flux model to simulate the flow of refrigerant in the capillary tube expansion devices. Attempts have been made to compare predictions with experimental results. The details flow characteristics of R134a in a capillary tube, such as distribution of pressure, void fraction, dryness fraction, phase’s velocities and their drift velocity relative to the center of the mass of the mixture are presented.     

Numerical model for matching of coiled adiabatic capillary tubes in a split air conditioner using HCFC22 and HC290

The present work presents a simple model for matching coiled capillary tubes and the refrigerant charge in a split air conditioner when the other components are fixed. The system model is composed of sub-models for the key components, i.e., a lumped model for the compressor, zone models for the condenser and the evaporator, and a four flow region distributed model for the coiled adiabatic capillary tube in series with the liquid tube. The C-M-N method is employed to calculate the friction factors in the coiled capillary tube. HCFC22 and HC290 are used for the simulations. The comparison of the model prediction with experimental data shows the errors are less than ±5% except for the mass flow rate with a maximum deviation of 8.63%. The results confirm that both the cooling capacity and input power are slightly reduced when HCFC22 is replaced by HC290 with the coiled capillary tube and refrigerant charge matched to the HC290 refrigerant. The results also show that when coil diameter is reduced from 0.3 m to 0.04 m, the capillary tube length is reduced by about 10% for both HCFC22 and HC290. This model can be used to design components for small air conditioning systems using HCFC22 and HC290.     

Development of a diabatic two-phase flow pattern map for horizontal flow boiling

An improved two-phase flow pattern map is proposed for evaporation in horizontal tubes. Based on new flow pattern data for three different refrigerants covering a wide range of mass velocities, vapor qualities and heat fluxes. The new flow pattern map includes the prediction of the onset of dryout at the top of the tube during evaporation inside horizontal tubes as a function of heat flux and flow parameters and is an extension to the flow pattern map model of Kattan et al. [J. Heat Transfer 120 (1998) 140]. The proposed modifications allow an accurate prediction of the flow pattern for very different fluids which are the substitute refrigerants (HFC-134a and HFC-407C) and the natural refrigerant R-717 (ammonia).     

Numerical analysis of an air condenser working with the refrigerant fluid R407C

As CFC (clorofluorocarbon) and HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon) refrigerants which have been used as refrigerants in a vapour compression refrigeration system were know to provide a principal cause to ozone depletion and global warming, production and use of these refrigerants have been restricted. Therefore, new alternative refrigerants should be searched for, which fit to the requirements in an air conditioner or a heat pump, and refrigerant mixtures which are composed of HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) refrigerants having zero ODP (ozone depletion potential) are now being suggested as drop-in or mid-term replacement. However also these refrigerants, as the CFC and HCFC refrigerants, present a greenhouse effect.The zeotropic mixture designated as R407C (R32/R125/R134a 23/25/52% in mass) represents a substitute of the HCFC22 for high evaporation temperature applications as the air-conditioning.Aim of the paper is a numerical–experimental analysis for an air condenser working with the non azeotropic mixture R407C in steady-state conditions. A homogeneous model for the condensing refrigerant is considered to forecast the performances of the condenser; this model is capable of predicting the distributions of the refrigerant temperature, the velocity, the void fraction, the tube wall temperature and the air temperature along the test condenser. Obviously in the refrigerant de-superheating phase the numerical analysis becomes very simple. A comparison with the measurements on an air condenser mounted in an air channel linked to a vapour compression plant is discussed. The results show that the simplified model provides a reasonable estimation of the steady-state response and that this model is useful to design purposes.     

Two-phase flow of refrigerants during evaporation under constant heat flux in a horizontal tube

This paper presents the results of simulations using a two-phase separated flow model to study the heat transfer and flow characteristics of refrigerants during evaporation in a horizontal tube. A one-dimensional annular flow model of the evaporation of refrigerants under constant heat flux is developed. The basic physical equations governing flow are established from the conservation of mass, energy and momentum. The model is validated by comparing it with the experimental data reported in literature. The present model can be used to predict the variation of the temperature, heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of various pure refrigerants flowing along a horizontal tube. It is found that the refrigerant temperature decreases along the tube corresponding to the decreasing of its saturation pressure. The liquid heat transfer coefficient increases with the axial length due to the reducing thickness of the liquid film. The evaporation rate of liquid refrigerant tends to decrease with increasing axial length, due to the decreasing latent heat transfer through the liquid–vapor interface. The developed model can be considered as an effective tool for evaporator design and can be used to choose appropriate refrigerants under designed conditions.     

气液两相流动及沸腾传热流体模化分析

基于制冷剂类物质热物性表与水和水蒸气热力性质图表,计算并比较了R12、R22、R123、R134a在相同气液密度比条件下模化水热力过程的能力;应用相似原理与量纲理论分析了流体模化方法在研究气液两相流动特性、高温高压传热过程、临界热流密度现象以及近临界和超临界传热方面的优势与方法.结果表明:制冷剂类物质具有良好的热力性质,其中R134a在相同气液密度比条件下的压力值仅约为水的1/5,而且其臭氧消耗潜能值为0,是环境友好的理想模化流体.提出并探讨了从本质上革新准则数以及基于模型探索新的模化条件和发展新的准则关系式的流体模化技术发展思路.