A comparison of critical flow models for estimating two-phase flow of HCFC22 and HFC134a through short tube orifices

An experimental study to investigate the critical flow of refrigerants through short tube orifices has been performed by measuring the mass flowrates and pressure profiles along the short tube orifice. Eight critical flow models have been examined and their results compared with the experimental data for HCFC22 and HFC134a. These models include four homogeneous equilibrium models, two homogeneous frozen models, and two non-homogeneous equilibrium models. The data indicate that the flow was choked when downstream pressures were lower than the saturation pressure corresponding to the upstream temperature. The observed flows through short tube orifices included a lack of equilibrium due to short time of expansion and homogeneous mist flow at the exit plane. These flow trends would be more consistent with the basic assumptions of the homogeneous frozen models. Based on the comparison of the existing critical flow models and experimental data, the homogeneous frozen models showed the best agreement with the measured data except for exit qualities below 0.06.