Boiling of ammonia/lubricant mixture on a horizontal tube in a flooded evaporator with inlet vapor quality

Abstract

In a flooded evaporator of an ammonia vapor-compression refrigeration system, boiling commonly takes place with ammonia mixed with compressor lubricant and subjected to a vapor quality at the inlet of the evaporator. In the present study, flooded boiling tests of ammonia on a plain tube under simultaneous influence of a miscible lubricant and inlet quality were conducted. The results suggest that the boiling heat transfer coefficient increases with both saturation temperature and heat flux. The coefficient slightly increases or does not significantly vary with the inlet quality. Heat transfer performance may increase, decrease or demonstrate no change with lubricant concentration, depending on heat flux and saturation temperature. The lubricant effect is generally more significant than the inlet quality effect. A correlation was developed based on the present data for flooded boiling of lubricant/ammonia mixture on a plain horizontal tube under the influence of inlet quality.