Numerical studies on passive vapor compression cycle regulating elements

Abstract

The present work analyses the role of both the capillary tube and the low pressure accumulator on domestic refrigerators. The main goal is to provide a better insight on how the refrigerant flow is regulated by the capillary tube and how the accumulator stores and releases refrigerant according to the system needs. To this end, an in-house numerical simulation tool is used to reproduce a comprehensive experimental study on household vapor compression refrigerating cycles found in the technical literature. The detailed numerical predictions are used to carefully examine the thermal and fluid-dynamic behavior of the two elements mentioned above together with their effect over the whole system. The results show good qualitative agreement with the experimental data and contribute to have a deeper understanding on the passive regulatory mechanisms acting on such systems.