Refrigeration and Air - Conditioning Laboratory

Department of Mechanical Engineering

IIT Madras, Chennai – 600036

ME6136 REFRIGERATION MACHINERY & COMPONENTS

Tutorial-IV (Expansion devices)
Date: 14.03.2022

1. Determine the flow rate of R12 for a capillary of 0.054” (1.37mm) ID, 111” (2.82m) long,
operating without heat exchange at 100oF (37oC) saturated condensing temperature with
10oF (5.6oC) sub-cooling. Determine the condition of the fluid in the capillary if the flow
rate is decreased to 30 lb/hr due to decreased condenser temperature of 90oF.

2. Determine the length of 0.054” (1.372mm) ID capillary that will pass 50 lb/hr (60 g/s) of
R22 with no sub-cooling and no vapour at the inlet when the inlet temperature of the fluid
corresponds to 120oF. Also, find the capillary length if the diameter equals 0.060”.

3. What will be the flow rate for either refrigerant R12 or R22 for a 0.070 in ID capillary 200’’
length with an inlet pressure of 175 PSI, 20% inlet quality and outlet pressure of 125 PSI?

4. For an R134a vapour compression refrigeration system, a thermostatic expansion valve is

used with an external equalizer. The spring force is set at the factory to exert a pressure
differential of 50 kPa on the diaphragm when the evaporating temperature is 0oC. Assuming
the spring setting is unaltered, find the difference in superheat obtained while evaporator
temperature is -20oC.

5. Design a capillary tube length (ID = 2.29 mm) to drop the pressure of saturated liquid
refrigerant R12 at 40oC to the saturation temperature of the evaporator of -5oC. The flow
rate of the refrigerant is 0.01 kg/s.

1
6. An R134a Thermostatic – Expansion Valve, not equipped with an external equalizer, has a
superheat setting of 7oC while supplying the refrigerant to the evaporator at 0oC. The power
is the same as the refrigerant.
(a.) Determine the difference in pressure on the opposite side of the diaphragm or
bellows required to open the valve.
(b.) If the temperature at the evaporator inlet is -5oC and the pressure drop through
the coil is 0.3 bar, what is the degree of superheat of the suction gas leaving the
evaporator?

7. A capillary tube in a one-tone R22 air conditioner has a bore of 2.3 mm. Saturated liquid
from the condenser enters at a temperature of 48oC and flows adiabatically through the tube
until its temperature is 5oC. Determine its length. The friction factor is given by

0.32
f=
Re0.25

Assume intermediate sections at 40 oC, 30 oC, 20 oC and 10oC.

8. Calculate the pressure of R134a as it expands through a capillary tube having a bore of 1.05
mm if 4.028×10-2 kg/s of saturated liquid enters the capillary tube at a temperature of 45oC.
Neglect heat transfer.

-- END --