Pool Boiling of Low-Global Warming Potential Replacements for R134a on a Reentrant Cavity Surface

Abstract

This paper quantifies the pool boiling performance of R134a, R1234yf, R513A, and R450A on a flattened, horizontal reentrant cavity surface. The study showed that the boiling performance of R134a on the Turbo-ESP exceeded that of the replacement refrigerants for heat fluxes greater than 20 kW m−2. On average, the heat flux for R1234yf and R513A was 16% and 19% less than that for R134a, respectively, for R134a heat fluxes between 20 kW m−2 and 110 kW m−2. The heat flux for R450A was on average 57% less than that of R134a for heat fluxes between 30 kW m−2 and 110 kW m−2. A model was developed to predict both single-component and multicomponent pool boiling of the test refrigerants on the Turbo-ESP surface. The model accounts for viscosity effects on bubble population and uses the Fritz equation to account for increased vapor production with increasing superheat. Both loss of available superheat and mass transfer resistance effects were modeled for the refrigerant mixtures. For most heat fluxes, the model predicted the measured superheat to within ±0.31 K.