Numerical investigation of capillary tube-suction line heat exchanger performance

This paper presents the numerical results of the effect of different parameters on the performance of capillary tube-suction line heat exchangers (CT-SLHX), including condensing and evaporating temperatures, degrees of subcooling and superheat, tube diameter, tube length, and refrigerant flow inlet quality. The heat transfer rate from the capillary tube to the suction line has been simulated for two environmentally friendly refrigerants, namely HFC-134a and HC-600a. The simulation model also postulates the situation where heat may be transferred from capillary tube to the ambient air, before entering the CT-SLHX.