Improvements in Refrigerant Flow Distribution Using an Expansion Valve with Integrated Distributor

Key

2363

Conference Year

2014

Authors

Chad D. Bowers, Creative Thermal Solutions, United States of AmericaFollow
Dave Wrocklage, Parker-Hannifin Sporlan DivisionFollow
Stefan ElbelFollow
Predrag S. HrnjakFollow

Keywords

Evaporator, Refrigerant Distribution, Expansion Valve

Abstract

Many factors, such as loading, flow circuiting, phase separation, and distributor effectiveness determine how uniformly refrigerant is distributed within a multicircuited heat exchanger. This work describes the development of a test procedure for evaluation of refrigerant flow distribution in a multicircuited round tube evaporator as well as a comparison between a typical valve/distributor combination and a novel expansion device that integrates the distributor into the valve body. The results of this study show that refrigerant flow distribution can be made more uniform through implementation of this device.