Note on refrigerant R134a flow maldistribution in a header type evaporator

After publishing our articles on the studies of the vapor-liquid phase distribution in a header type evaporator consisting of upward [refer to Wijayanta et al., 2016] and downward [refer to Wijayanta et al., 2017] minichannel-branching conduits, we were motivated to extend the work to the heating load acting on the branches because till date, it is believed to cause maldistribution. Refrigerant R134a experiments with heating loads from 50 to 300 W on the branches were performed. The vapor quality in the test section inlet was maintained between approximately 0.1 and 0.4. Although a larger phase separation occurred in the header at the maximum heating load of 300 W at a vapor quality in the test section inlet of 0.41, it was notable that the geometry configuration had a stronger effect on the phase distribution.