Refrigerant Distribution in the Inlet Header of Plate Evaporators

This paper presents experimental results concerning the distribution of the refrigerant R134a in the inlet header of plate evaporators in automotive air-conditioning systems, as a function of operating conditions. Typical conditions in such air-conditioning systems cover the: mass flow rates of 20-60 g/s, and inlet vapor quality at the inlet header of up to 30%. The distribution of the refrigerant is expressed as the fraction of the liquid available at the inlet. The distribution results are given with flow images (shown in the paper) followed by analysis and discussions of the results.