Development of an Experimental Facility to Evaluate the Performance of Air-Cooled Automotive and Household Refrigerator Condensers Utilizing Ozone-Safe Refrigerants

Weber, R.J.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/9697 Copy

Description

Title

Development of an Experimental Facility to Evaluate the Performance of Air-Cooled Automotive and Household Refrigerator Condensers Utilizing Ozone-Safe Refrigerants

Author(s)

Weber, R.J.

Contributor(s)

Pederson, C.O.

Issue Date

1991-10

Keyword(s)

condenser performance

Abstract

Chlorofluorocarbons or CFC's have long been the refrigerants of choice in vapor compression . refrigeration systems, including mobile air conditioning and household refrigerator/freezer applications. Due to enviromental concerns regarding ozone layer depletion and global warming, international agreements have been legislated that will gradually reduce and eventually eliminate these refrigerants. Although alternative, ozone-safe refrigerants have been developed, their effect on the performance of air-cooled condensers must· still be evaluated so that industry may more effectively design air conditioning and refrigeration system components in the future. A full condenser test apparatus has been designed and constructed to allow experimental determination of the heat transfer and friction characteristics of air-cooled condensers utilizing alternative refrigerants. Baseline testing has recently been conducted using CFC- 12 and simulating a wide range of air-side and refrigerant-side conditions at the condenser inlet. Separate experiments were included either single phase or two phase refrigerant flow through the condenser. Modified Wilson Plot procedures have been implemented to evaluate the air-side heat transfer resistances and to develop a Colburn j-factor correlation for an automotive condenser with two rows of staggered, wavy finned tubes. The correlation agrees fairly well with other empirical correlations appearing in the literature for the same type of condenser geometry. Additional expected trends in the experimental data were observed; however, existing uncertainties in temperature and pressure measurements require that refinements be made to the system in the near future.

Publisher

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center. College of Engineering. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Series/Report Name or Number

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center TR-08

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/9697

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center Project 03

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