Analysis of the heat transfer and friction factor correlations influence in the prediction of evaporating flows inside tubes

A methodology for analysing the influence of the heat transfer and friction factor correlations in the prediction of the two-phase flows inside horizontal ducts under evaporation phenomena is presented. An experimental unit based on single stage vapor compression refrigerating system with two parallel evaporation devices has been built to work under real refrigeration conditions. The first evaporation device consists of a double pipe evaporator which allows determining the heat flux through the pipe. The second device is an electrically heated pipe evaporator with uniformly distributed temperature and pressure sensors along the fluid path. The experimental data of temperature and pressure distribution along the smooth heated duct is compared with a selected set of heat transfer and friction factor correlations through a detailed numerical evaporation model. The aim of this paper is to determine possible criteria to select the most suitable heat transfer and friction factor correlations available.