Flow-boiling of R22, R134a, R507, R404A and R410A inside a

smooth horizontal tube

A. Grecoa,*, G.P. Vanolib
a
Facolta di Ingegneria, DETEC, Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Pzle Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy
b
Facolta di Ingegneria, Universita del Sannio, Palazzo Bosco Lucarelli, Piazza Roma, Benevento, Italy
Received 16 April 2004; received in revised form 11 January 2005; accepted 25 January 2005
Available online 20 April 2005

Abstract

Flow boiling heat transfer coefficients of R22, R134a, R507, R404A and R410A inside a smooth horizontal tube (6 mm I.D.,
6 m length) were measured at a refrigerant mass flux of about 360 kg/m2 s varying the evaporating pressure within the range
312 bar, with heat fluxes within the range 1121 kW/m2. The experimental data are discussed in terms of the heat transfer
coefficients as a function of the vapour quality. The experimental results clearly show that the heat transfer coefficients of
R134a are always higher than those pertaining to R22 (from a minimum of C6 to a maximum of C45%).
q 2005 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Experiment; Boiling; Horizontal tube; R22; R134a; R507; R404A; R410A; Heat transfer coefficient

R22, R134a, R507, R404 et R410A : ebullition en ecoulement a

linterieur dun tube lisse horizontal
Mots cles : Experimentation ; Ebullition ; Tube horizontal ; R22 ; R134a ; R507 ; R404A ; R410A ; Coefficient de transfert de chaleur

1. Introduction The HFCs are a new family of substances that might

In the present study, the evaporating heat-transfer
characteristics of refrigerant fluids alternative to R22 were
analysed. R22 is an HCFC widely used in refrigerant and
air-conditioning plants and although it has a low ODP
(0.05), it is necessary to consider the large amount that
commonly escapes from commercial units to the atmos-
phere. This amount can arrive at the stratosphere where the
chlorine can combine with ozone, depleting the ozone layer.
* Corresponding author. Tel.: C39 81 7682299; fax: C39 81
2390364.
E-mail address: adriana.greco@unina.it (A. Greco).
substitute HCFCs. Indeed, they are harmless towards the
since they do not contain chlorine. Binary or ternary
mixtures are often used in lieu of pure fluids since, the
required overall properties could be obtained more easily by
mixing two or three components.
There is a continuous pressure by the market that
compels refrigerators and heat pumps to possess higher and
higher efficiencies, even with new refrigerants. The best way
to design effective evaporators is to keep the size as small as
possible. Therefore, it is very important the accurate
knowledge of the new-fluid heat-transfer coefficients and
pressure drops and of their parametric behaviour in
horizontal tubes.
 Nomenclature
A heat transfer area (m2) m dynamic viscosity (Pa s)
Cp specific heat at constant pressure (J/kg K) r density (kg/m3)
G mass flux (kg/s m2) s superficial tension (N/m)
h heat-transfer coefficient (W/m2 K)
Subscripts
p pressure (Pa)
av average
k conductivity (W/m K)
ev evaporative
q heat flux (W/m2)
l liquid phase
Q heat-transfer rate (W)
sat saturation
T temperature (8C, K)
v vapour phase
x vapour quality
w inner wall
Greek symbols
Dh latent heat (kJ/kg)

In the present paper flow boiling heat transfer coeffi- be estimated, since the values of the voltage supplied to the
cients of R22, and its alternative of R134a, R507, R404A test section and of the ensuing current are monitored by
and R410A are measured in a smooth horizontal tube means of a voltmeter and an amperometer, respectively.
electrically heated. The objective of the present experimen- The outer-wall temperature of the heated tube is
tal study are to: (i) develop an accurate flow boiling heat measured by means of 32 four-wire 100 U platinum
transfer database for several important new fluids, (ii) resistance thermometers mounted in eight stations. Each
provide data to the refrigeration industry for the design of station had four resistance thermometers clamped on the
high efficiency evaporators, (iii) compare the thermal top, bottom, left, right sides, respectively.
performances of R134a, R507, R404A and R410A to R22 Two four-wire 100 U platinum resistance thermometers
(which they replace) and (iv) investigate the influence of the are inserted in the refrigerant flow stream at the inlet and the
evaporating pressure and of the heat flux on the flow boiling outlet of the test section.
characteristics of the fluids. A piezoelectric pressure transducer measures absolute
pressure at the inlet of the test section. Piezoelectric pressure
difference gauges measures the pressure drop in each station
2. Experimental apparatus and procedure of the test section.
The refrigerant flow patterns are observed through the
2.1. Test facility sight glasses installed before and after the test section.
Plant insulation is provided by a 32 mm layer of cellular
The experimental plant was designed to investigate two- insulate for the heat exchangers and with a coaxial tube of
phase-flow heat-transfer phenomena during convective armaflex insulate for tubes and tube fittings.
boiling under a uniform heat flux condition. Table 1 summarizes all the characteristics of the plant
A schematic view of the experimental apparatus is given instrumentation.
in Fig. 1. It consists in two main loops: the test refrigerant
loop, and a secondary vapour compression loop for
condensing the test refrigerant fluid. Table 1
The refrigerant fluid evaporates in the test section. Its Measurement equipment
condensation is achieved in a plate type condenser that is the
evaporator of the secondary vapour compression refrigerat- Variable Device Accuracy Range
ing plant. A variable-speed gear pump drives the test Temperature Resistance G0.03 8C K50100 8C
refrigerant fluid circulating in the experimental loop. thermometers
Refrigerant mass flow-rate is measured by a Coriolis effect Pt100
mass flow meter. Pressure Piezoelectric 0.1% F.S. 014 bar
Differential Piezoelectric 0.1% F.S. 01 bar
The test section consists in a 6 m stainless steel tube, I.D.
pressure
6 mm, wall thickness 1 mm. The energy required for
Mass flow- Coriolis effect G0.2% 02 kg/min
evaporation is provided by Joule effect. A direct electrical rate
current supplied by a feed current device circulates within Voltage Voltmeter G0.2% 030 V
the wall of the tube. Direct current Amperometer G0.2% 0220 A
Heat transferred to the refrigerant at the test section can
874

Fig. 1. The experimental apparatus.

2.2. Data reduction enthalpy gain of the fluid and the electrical power dissipation
in the test section.
The local heat transfer coefficient, at each downstream In the test section, the transferred heat (evaluated
location, is defined as: through the supplied voltage and the ensuing current) and
those evaluated by means of an energy balance on the
Q_ refrigerant fluid agree to within G3% maximum error.
q hev Tw
Tsat (1)
A In order to verify the temperature and pressure
where, q is the inner wall heat flux based on the inside surface measurements, preliminary tests have been performed
area of the tube, calculated on the basis of the total heat input to with pure R22 and R134a in the liquid phase. All tests
the evaporating fluid; Tw is the local inner wall temperature performed correspond to a turbulent regime. The liquid
and is estimated from the measured outside wall temperature phase heat transfer coefficient have been measured and
by applying the one-dimensional, radial, steady state heat compared with those obtained with the well-known Dittus
conduction equation for a hollow cylinder. Uniform heat- Boelter and Gnielinski correlations. The experimental heat
generation is assumed within the tube wall and an adiabatic transfer coefficients show a mean deviation of 5.5% from the
condition is supposed to hold on the outer surface of the tube; former and of 7.7% from the latter.
Tsat is the bulk saturation temperature and is calculated rather The error analysis for the heat transfer coefficient was
than directly measured. The corresponding saturation pressure carried out following the equation:
at each measuring section is estimated for pure fluids or for s
 2  2  2  2
azeotropic mixtures from the pressure measured at the inlet of vhev vQ vA vTw vTsat
Z C C C
the test section and from the pressure drop measured in the sub- hev Q A Tw K Tsat Tw K Tsat
section. For zeotropic mixtures the saturation temperature is a (2)
function of quality as well as pressure. Test section quality at
any location is obtained from an energy balance between the According to the uncertainty analysis suggested by Moffat [1].
 The error depends on the operating conditions and
mainly on the accuracy of the wall temperature-difference.
And, therefore, depends largely upon the accuracy of the

s (N/m)

0.00907

0.00897
0.0127
0.0103

0.0118
local pressure, the wall temperature measurements, and the
state-equation used in evaluating the equilibrium tempera-
ture used in the computer program. In the operating
condition of our tests, the most probable errors in the heat
transfer coefficients stemming from these uncertainties

ml (mPa s)
should range between 3.8 and 8.6%.

234
242
209
211
210
2.3. Refrigerants

In the present study R22, and its alternative R134a,

kl (W/m K)
R507, R404A and R410A have been tested. R22 and R134a

0.0978
0.0881
0.0838

0.0826
0.126
are pure fluids, R507, R404A and R410A are near
azeotropic mixtures of R125/R143a (50/50% by weight),
R125/R143a/R134a (44/52/4% by weight), R32/R125
(50/50% by weight), respectively. Table 2 lists some of

Dhev (kJ/kg)
the most important physical properties of the tested
refrigerants at a pressure of 4 bar. All the thermodynamic
and transport properties of pure and mixed fluids are

210
192
176
243
173
evaluated using the computer program REFRPROP [2].

Cpl (kJ/kg K)
3. Results and discussion

1.15
1.37
1.33
1.43
1.32
In the present paper the heat-transfer coefficients are
measured by varying the evaporating pressure while
keeping the refrigerant mass-flux almost constant. The
rv (kg/m3)

experimental conditions are summarized in Table 3.

Since, the heat-transfer process depends upon flow-
17.2
19.5
20.4
15.1
regime, one must first estimate which flow pattern is present. 20.8
Numerous flow pattern maps have been proposed over the
years for predicting two-phase-flow regime transitions in
horizontal tubes. In this paper, use is made of the latest
rl (kg/m3)

version of the KattanThomeFavrat map [3,4].

From the maps, it can be seen that the flow pattern is
1303
1265
1199
1246
1208

intermittent from the inlet section to a quality between 30

and 40%, depending on test conditions. With increasing
vapour content, an annular flow is achieved. At higher
quality-values (O80%) the liquid film in the upper portion
psat (bar)

of the tube disappears and the flow becomes annular with a

Physical properties of refrigerants at 4.0 bar

partial dry-out.
4.0
4.0
4.0
4.0
4.0

From Figs. 26, local boiling heat transfer coefficients

are reported for R22, R134a, R507, R404A, R410A as a
K12.9/K12.4
K20.1/K20.0

function of vapour quality obtained by varying the

evaporation pressure and the heat flux at almost constant
Tsat (8C)
K6.56

K13.6

refrigerant mass-flux.
8.93

In the experimental tests, the heat flux increases with

increasing evaporating-pressure and a different dependence
of the heat-transfer coefficients on vapour quality is
apparent. Indeed, at low values of the evaporating pressure,
the heat-transfer coefficient increases with increasing
Table 2

R404A
R410A
R134a

R507

vapour quality. On the contrary, for high pressure and heat

Fluid
R22

flux values the heat-transfer coefficient initially decreases

876

Table 3
The operating conditions

Refrigerant fluid G (kg/m2 s) pev (bar) Tev (8C) q (kW/m2)

R22 362 4.45 K3.81 18.4
355 6.04 5.83 18.3
351 7.21 11.8 19.5
361 8.60 17.99 21.4
388 10.1 22.8 21.8
R404A 360 3.75 K14.8 12.0
366 5.20 K5.21 12.9
369 7.20 5.13 13.3
373 8.60 11.1 14.1
380 12.1 23.5 15.4
R410A 363 4.83 K14.9 15.0
360 7.20 K3.24 16.2
381 11.5 12.0 18.1
386 12.0 13.5 20.4
R507 368 4.34 K11.5 13.4
354 6.35 0.140 15.1
361 7.44 5.45 16.1
402 10.2 6.05 17.3
R134a 368 3.03 0.95 10.9
370 4.10 9.67 15.8
370 5.58 17.5 19.2
377 7.39 28.6 20.8

with quality and then increases, presenting a local minimum
in the vapour quality range between 20 and 40%.
The heat-transfer coefficient in flow-boiling results from
the interaction between nucleate boiling and liquid convec-
tion. The relative importance of the two different mechan-
isms varies with vapour quality and strongly depends on
flow conditions. Indeed, at high heat fluxes and evaporating
pressures, heat-transfer is predominantly influenced by the
nucleate-boiling mechanism. The convective contribution to
heat-transfer predominates at low heat-fluxes and evaporat-
ing pressures.
In the experimental tests where liquid convection is the
main mechanism, convective evaporation being predomi-
nant does not imply that nucleate boiling is fully suppressed.
Under these conditions, the heat-transfer coefficient
increases with quality. Indeed, as the flow proceeds
downstream and vaporization takes place, the void fraction
increases, thus decreasing the density of the liquidvapour
mixture. As a result, the flow accelerates enhancing
convective transport from the heated wall of the tube.
The ensuing increase in heat-transfer coefficient pro-
ceeds until the liquid film disappears, leaving the tube-wall

Fig. 2. Heat transfer coefficients of R22 as a function of vapour quality for different values of evaporation pressure at GZ363 kg/m2 s.
 Fig. 3. Heat transfer coefficients of R134a as a function of vapour quality for different values of evaporation pressure at GZ371 kg/m2 s.
partially or totally dry. In this region, the heat-transfer
coefficient decreases because of the low thermal conduc-
tivity of the vapour.
In the experimental tests corresponding to higher values
of heat flux and of evaporating pressure, there are two
distinct heat-transfer regions during evaporation. In the first
one, occurring at low qualities, nucleate boiling dominates.
In this region, heat-transfer coefficients decrease as the
effect of nucleate-boiling diminishes. Indeed, as quality
increases, the annular liquid-film becomes thinner and thus
the wall-to-interface temperature-difference needed to drive
the heat flux is reduced. The decrease in the wall superheat
resulting from this effect tends to reduce the range of active
cavity-sizes for bubble formation. This effect leads to a
reduction in the effectiveness of nucleate boiling with
increasing vapour quality.
The second region corresponds to convective evapor-
ation. It is characterized by the increase of the heat-transfer
Fig. 4. Heat transfer coefficients of R507 as a function of vapour quality for different values of evaporation pressure at GZ371 kg/m2 s.
coefficients with quality. This increase proceeds until the
liquid film disappears.
Results for refrigerant R507, Fig. 4, do not present this
local minimum, though this trend might occur at qualities
outside the range of those considered in the present study
(x!10%).
The experimental evidence indicates that, at fixed
refrigerant mass-flux, the heat-transfer coefficients increase
with pressure and heat flux. Indeed, increasing either leads
to a corresponding increase in nucleate-boiling contribution
to the heat-transfer coefficient.
Indeed, with increasing pressure, the nucleate-boiling
contribution to the heat-transfer coefficient increases mainly
due to the corresponding decrease in the wall superheat
necessary to form a stable nucleus of a given radius. Thus,
the number of active nucleation sites on the heated surface
increases.
In Fig. 2 it is interesting to note for R22 that in the two
878

Fig. 5. Heat transfer coefficients of R404A as a function of vapour quality for different values of evaporation pressure at GZ370 kg/m2 s.

tests corresponding to lower saturation pressure and heat
flux, namely 4.45 and 6.04 bar with the same heat flux, the
evaporating pressure affects heat transfer coefficients only in
the low quality region where nucleate boiling effects are
most relevant. At higher qualities where convective boiling
is predominant the effect of the evaporating pressure is no
longer significant and the lower saturation pressure tends to
rise that corresponding to the high pressure. This effect is
related to the increase of the convective boiling contribution
due to the increase of the liquid thermal conductivity and the
corresponding decrease of the vapour density.
In Fig. 6, in R410A tests corresponding to lower
pressures, with almost the same heat flux, at higher qualities
the effect of the pressure become weaker, and the heat
transfer coefficients tend to merge together.
In all the other figures, increasing both the heat flux and
the evaporating pressure, the heat transfer coefficients
generally increase over the whole range of qualities
considered. It is, therefore, evident that even under annular
regime, nucleate boiling might occur at qualities as high as
90%.
The experimental data allow comparing the heat transfer
coefficients of R134a, R507, R404A and R410A to R22 at
equal pressure and refrigerant mass-flux. It can be shown
that:
(i) in the experimental tests corresponding to lower values
of evaporating pressures and heat fluxes, R134a heat
transfer coefficients are slightly better than those
pertaining to R22, by a mean factor of about C6%.
R410A heat transfer coefficients are similar to those of
R22. R507 and R404A transfer coefficients are

Fig. 6. Heat transfer coefficients of R410A as a function of vapour quality for different values of evaporation pressure at GZ373 kg/m2 s.
 consistently lower than those pertaining to R22 (with
mean values of the deviations of K35 and K 44%,
respectively).
(ii) in the experimental tests corresponding to higher values
of evaporating pressures and heat fluxes, R134a heat
transfer coefficients are consistently better than those
pertaining to R22, by a mean factor of about C45%.
R507 heat transfer coefficients are slightly lower to
those of R22, with a mean value of K11%. R404A and
R410A transfer coefficients are consistently lower than
those pertaining to R22 (with mean values of the
deviations of K30 and K45%, respectively).
The heat-transfer coefficient in convective boiling results
from the interaction between nucleate boiling and liquid
convection. The convective contribution to heat-transfer
coefficient, according with the DittusBoelter single-phase
forced convection correlation, is strongly affected by the
vapour density and is directly proportional to the liquid
property combination F:
 0:4
Cpl
FZ kl0:6
ml
Therefore, increasing the F value, the convective contri-
bution to the heat transfer coefficient also increases.
Furthermore, decreasing the vapour and liquid density, the
decrease of the mean liquidvapour density leads to a lower
velocity of the refrigerant fluid at any given refrigerant
mass-flux.
For R134a the liquid property combination F is very
close to R22, for R404A and R507 F is slightly lower,
whereas for R410A is even 35% greater.
R404A and R507 vapour density are greater than that
pertaining to R22.
In nucleate boiling, assuming spherical nuclei, the
required wall superheat follows from the well-known
equilibrium conditions for a small bubble (Thomson
equation) and the linearized ClausiusClapeyron equation
and depends on physical properties (surface tension,
enthalpy of vaporization, vapour-phase density). Therefore,
the nucleate boiling contribution to the heat transfer
coefficient is strongly affected by the heat flux, the vapour
density, the superficial tension, and the heat of vaporization.
The greater vapour density of R404A and R507, together
with a lower superficial tension leads to a greater nucleate
boiling contribution. The experimental tests carried out with
this two fluids show the smaller values of heat fluxes,
therefore, the potential for a higher nucleate boiling
contribution seems to be cancelled out entirely.
Furthermore, R404A and R410A are almost azeotrope
mixtures, with a gliding temperature difference less than 0.5
and 0.2 8C, respectively. Therefore, in the region dominated
by nucleate boiling, a little mass transfer resistance can be
observed.
On the other side, the greater vapour density of R134a,
together with a lower superficial tension and a greater
enthalpy of vaporization, leads to a greater nucleate boiling
contribution compared to that of R22.
Therefore, in the experimental tests corresponding to
lower values of the evaporating pressure, R134a heat-
transfer coefficients are slightly better than those pertaining
to R22 because of the greater nucleate boiling contribution.
The difference in the heat-transfer coefficients increases
with increasing pressure, since the relative importance of the
nucleate boiling contribution increases.
In the experimental tests corresponding to lower values
of the evaporating pressure, the potential for higher heat
transfer coefficients of R410A due to the larger F seems to
be cancelled out because of the lower nucleate boiling
contribution (greater superficial tension, lower vapour
density) and finally the heat transfer coefficients of R410A
become similar to R22. For higher evaporating pressure and
heat flux, increasing the effect of nucleate boiling, the heat
transfer coefficients of R410A become lower than that of
R22.
Finally the heat transfer coefficient of R404A and R507
are always lower than that of R22 because of the lower
convective contribution than that pertaining to R22, and
because of the lower heat flux values of the experimental
tests.
Many data have been reported in the Literature that are
comparable with those obtained in the course of our
experimental work, even though obtained with different
sets of experimental conditions [57].
Fig. 7 shows the average heat transfer coefficients during
evaporation as a function of evaporating pressure, obtained
integrating local heat transfer coefficients over the quality
range. The figure clearly shows the increase of the mean
heat transfer coefficients with evaporating pressure. Fur-
thermore, it is evident that the heat transfer coefficients of
R134a are greater than that of all the other refrigerant fluids
and that the difference increases with increasing the
evaporating pressure.
4. Conclusions
An experimental plant has been set up at the University
of Naples for evaluating the heat-transfer characteristics of
pure and mixed refrigerants during convective boiling.
Flow boiling heat transfer coefficients of R22, R134a,
R507, R404A and R410A inside a smooth horizontal tube
(6 mm I.D., 6 m length) were measured at a refrigerant mass
flux of about 360 kg/m2 s varying the evaporating pressure
within the range 312 bar, with heat fluxes within the range
1121 kW/m2.
The experimental results indicate that the heat-transfer
coefficients increase with saturation pressure and heat flux at
a fixed refrigerant mass-flux. Indeed, with increasing
pressure the nucleate-boiling contribution to the heat-
transfer coefficient increases mainly because of the
880
Fig. 7. Average heat transfer coefficient as a function of evaporating pressure for different refrigerant fluids.
corresponding decrease of the wall superheat required to
form a stable nucleus.
The heat transfer coefficients of R134a are higher than
that of all the other refrigerant fluids, and the difference
increases with increasing the evaporating pressure.
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tubes. Part Idevelopment of a diabatic two-phase flow pattern
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