Conference Year
2021
Keywords
Vapor compression cycle, refrigeration, body-forces, inclination, abnormal operation, liquid migration
Abstract
Vapor compression cycles would have many applications in the space industry if it was not for the uncertainty imposed by microgravity environments on two-phase systems. A first step towards Zero-G for technologies involving fluid dynamics can be terrestrial testing at different orientations. For vapor compression cycles, there is very little literature describing this type of research. This paper describes the anomalies encountered during the pursuit of a continuous operation of a R134a vapor compression cycle while positioning it at fixed angles around one axis between 0 and 360°. Experimental data was collected on a dedicated test stand across two configurations, one using a flat-plate evaporator and the other configuration using a tube-in-tube evaporator. Liquid flooding of the suction line was observed for both configurations but also continuous operation throughout a complete loop for certain cycle conditions. Charge migration towards the evaporator when it was put at the bottom was calculated based on differing measurements of the two mass flow meters in the liquid and suction line.