Influence of the 2-phase Flow Models on Prediction of Absorber Tube Performance

It is crucial to identify flow regimes/patterns in order to calculate the pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient (HTC) with high accuracy in flow boiling. Researchers have not paid too much attention to the two-phase (2-phase) phenomena and the influence of the 2-phase flow parameters on the performance of absorber tubes. This parametric study sheds the light on some of the well-known and widely used 2-phase flow models/correlations and their impact on absorber performance prediction. The results of 2-phase flow models were compared with experimental data for refrigerants and water to validate these models. Different HTC models are studied. However, the main parameters affecting the absorber tube performance are analyzed and validated. The results showed that for the refrigerant R134a case Wojtan et al. HTC model exhibited the best fit with the experimental data, while in the case of water Shah correlation found to be the best. Moreover, for the pressure drop, Lockhart–Martinelli model showed the best agreement with the experimental data especially at high qualities.