The present study experimentally investigated the effect of refrigeration lubricant on the heat transfer performance in the straight sections and U-bend of a microfin tube evaporator by using R-22/mineral oil and R-407C/POE oil. The apparatus consiste...
The present study experimentally investigated the effect of refrigeration lubricant on the heat transfer performance in the straight sections and U-bend of a microfin tube evaporator by using R-22/mineral oil and R-407C/POE oil. The apparatus consisted of test section with U-bend, preheater, condenser, oil injection and sampling devices, magnetic pump, mass flow meter etc. The experimental parameters were oil concentration of 0 to 5 wt%, inlet quality of 0.1 to 0.5, mass flux of 219 and $400kg/m^2s$ and heat flux of 10 and $20kW/m^2$. The effects of parameters on the heat transfer coefficients were large in the order of inlet quality, mass flux and heat flux as oil concentration got increased. As oil concentration was increased, heat transfer coefficients were continuously decreased for R-22 and increased by 3% up to the concentration of 1% and then decreased for R-407C under the condition of large inlet quality, and small mass flux and heat flux. But, the heat transfer coefficients were increased up to the concentration of 3% and then decreased for both R-22 and R-407C refrigerants under the opposite conditions. The variation of enhancement factors for R-407C was under 50% of that for R-22 and the variation with respect to the positions in the test section was small. The pressure drops were increased for both R-22 and R-407C refrigerants as oil concentration was increased. The pressure drops for R-407C were smaller by the maximum of 18% than those for R-22.