Numerical and experimental studies of refrigerant circuitry of evaporator coils

This study attempts to analyze the performances of evaporator coils with complex refrigerant circuitry using a distributed simulation model, which has three elements: branch, tube and control volume. The governing equations for a control volume are presented in the paper together with the computer simulation procedure for branches, tubes and control volumes of a coil. The model predictions on four test coils are validated with experimental data collected under different airflow conditions using R134a as a refrigerant. Using this model, the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of the coils are studied. The study shows that while the thermal resistance of refrigerant side is comparable to that of airside, the coil comprehensive performance can be improved by changing the refrigerant mass velocity along the flow path. Compared with a common coil, using a complex refrigerant circuitry arrangement where the refrigerant circuits are properly branched or joined may reduce the heat transfer area by around 5% in coil design. A guideline is proposed for the refrigerant circuitry arrangements to improve the coil performance.