Experimentation and modeling of refrigerant flow through coiled capillary tubes

Air-conditioners use spirally coiled capillary tubes as an expansion device to enhance compactness of the unit. However, most empirical correlations for predicting refrigerant flow rate through capillary tubes were developed for straight capillary tubes without consideration of coiled effects. The objectives of this study are to investigate the flow characteristics of the coiled capillary tubes and to develop a generalized correlation for the mass flow rate through the coiled capillary tubes. The mass flow rate of R22 through the coiled capillary tubes and straight capillary tubes was measured for various operating conditions and tube geometries. The mass flow rates of the coiled capillary tubes decreased by 5–16% more than those of the straight capillary tubes at the same operating conditions. A generalized correlation for predicting refrigerant mass flow rate through coiled capillary tubes was developed by introducing the parameter of capillary equivalent length. The present correlation showed good predictions with the present database for R22, R407C and R410A in the straight and coiled capillary tubes, yielding average and standard deviations of 0.24% and 4.4%, respectively.