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27166

THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION OF AN ADIABATIC CAPILLARY TUBE WORKING WITH PROPANE / n-BUTANE / iso-BUTANE BLENDS

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Last updated: 04 Jan 2025

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Abstract

In this paper, a theoretical model is developed to predict refrigerant flow characteristics in adiabatic capillary tubes using propane/n-butane/iso-butane mixtures as working fluids in a domestic refigerator. This model is based on mass, energy and momentum conservation equations for a homogeneous refrigerant flow under different inlet conditions such as subcooled, saturated and two-phase flow. Effects of inlet pressure (8-16bar), inlet vapor quality (0.001-15%), inlet subcooling degree (1-15°C), mass flow rate (1-5 kg/h), propane mass fraction (0.5-0.7), capillary tube inner diameter (0.6-1.0mm) and tube surface roughness on the capillary tube length are predicted. Results showed that the present model predicts data that are very close to the available experimental data in literature with an average error of 2.65%. Pressure of hydrocabon mixture (HCM) decreases while its vapor quality, specific volume and Mach number increase along the capillary tube. Also, the results indicated that capillary tube length is largely dependent on capillary tube diameter. Other parameters such as mass flow rate, inlet pressure, sub-cooling degree (or quality) and relative roughness influence the capillary tube length in that order. Capillay tube length as function of the significant parameters is presented in equation form. Also, capillary tube selection charts either to predict mass flow rates of propane/n-butane/iso-butane mixtures through adiabatic capillary tubes or to select the capillry tube size according to the required applications are developed. The comparison betweenn R12, R134a and the hydrocarbon mixture (HCM) of propane/n-butane/iso-butane indicated that for a given mass flow rate, the pressure drop per unit length is about 4.13, 5.0 and 12.0 bar/m for R12, R134a and HCM, respectively. The ratios of average mass flow rate of HCM with propane mass fraction of 0.6 to those of R12 and R134a are about 0.62 and 0.67, respectively. Average capillary tube length for HCM with propane mass fraction of 0.6 is longer than those of R134a and R12 by about 30% and 48%, respectively.

DOI

10.21608/asat.2011.27166

Keywords

Capillary tube sizing, flow characteristics, alternative refrigerants, hydrocabon mixtures

Authors

First Name

M.

Last Name

Fatouh

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Affiliation

Assoc. Professor, Dpt. of Mechanical Power Engineering , Faculty of Engineering at El-Mattaria (Helwan University), Masaken El-Helmia P. 0., Cairo 11718, Egypt.

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Volume

11

Article Issue

ASAT Conference, 17-19 May 2005

Related Issue

4906

Issue Date

2011-05-01

Receive Date

2019-02-14

Publish Date

2011-05-01

Page Start

493

Page End

512

Print ISSN

2090-0678

Online ISSN

2636-364X

Link

https://asat.journals.ekb.eg/article_27166.html

Detail API

https://asat.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=27166

Order

28

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Original Article

Type Code

737

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

International Conference on Aerospace Sciences and Aviation Technology

Publication Link

https://asat.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION OF AN ADIABATIC CAPILLARY TUBE WORKING WITH PROPANE / n-BUTANE / iso-BUTANE BLENDS

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Article

Created At

22 Jan 2023