International Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration
- Volume 7
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- Pages.11-21
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- 1999
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- 2010-1325(pISSN)
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- 2010-1333(eISSN)
Characteristics of Refrigerant Flow through Capillary Tubes and Short Tube Orifices
- Kim, Yong-Chan (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University) ;
- Choi, Jong-Min (Graduate School, Kora Univ.)
- Published : 1999.09.01
Abstract
The capillary tube and short tube orifice have been widely used as an expansion device in the refrigeration and air-conditioning system. To improve the system performance, expansion devices need to be optimized with the components of a refrigeration system. In the present study, a numerical model for a capillary, which could predict the flow rate and properties along a tube, was developed by assuming homogeneous two-phase flow. A semi-empirical flow model for evaluation of the flow rate through a short tube orifice was also developed by using the experimental data. Finally, the results of the numerical model for a capillary was compared with those of the semi-empirical model for a short tube orifice to identify the dominant flow factors for the expansion devices.