Methodology for the construction of a Heat Pump Solar-Assisted Direct

Expansion
Autores

 Pedro Jesús González Torres

Grado académico: Ingeniero electromecánico
Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander
Facultad de Ingeniería
Departamento de Electricidad y Electrónica
E-mail: pedro_gonzaleztorres93@hotmail.com
Tel: 57-350-6813823/057-097-5769778
Código postal: 540003
 Hugo Miguel Combariza Bastos
Grado académico: Ingeniero electromecánico
Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander
Facultad de Ingeniería
Departamento de Electricidad y Electrónica
E-mail: hugomiguelcb@ufps.edu.co
Tel:
Código postal: 540003
 Carlos Eduardo Castillas Álvarez
Universidad Federal de Minas Gerais
E-mail: ing.carlos.ufps@gmail.com

Abstract

In this paper is exposed a methodology for the design and construction of the heat pump Solar-
Assisted Direct Expansion. The two heat exchanger (condenser and evaporator) were projected by a
methodology of zones which are: in the evaporator two zones (boiling an overheating) and condenser
three zones (overheating, condensation and sub cooling), the capacity of exchangers were computed
based of the available compressor and the thermal load. The condenser is a heat exchanger counter
current and concentric tube; the evaporator is a heat exchanger of type serpentine. The condenser was
designed on base methodology logarithmic average temperature delta, evaluating the proprieties by
each zone; And the evaporator was designed based on the coefficient of heat transfer by radiation, air
convection, internal heat transfer coefficient of the refrigerant, thermal conductivity of bond and a
concept of efficiency factor, being treated as a classic heat transfer problem tube-fin. In addition, the
pressure losses in the heat exchangers were estimated and the amount of refrigerant mass was
calculated. The refrigerant used in the design was the R134a. All calculations were made through the
EES engineering equation solver. The results obtained in this work serve to observe the behavior of
heat exchangers spatially, using the EES tool. The values obtained experimentally coincided
satisfactorily with the projected values.

Keywords

Heat pump

Solar collector
Condenser

Direct Expansion Evaporator

Concentric Tube Heat Exchangers

Solar radiation

Logarithmic mean temperature delta

Design of exchanger heat

Resumen

En este artículo es expuesto el diseño y construcción de una bomba de calor de expansión directa con
asistencia solar. Los dos intercambiadores de calor fueron proyectados por una metodología de zonas,
los cuales fueron: en el evaporador dos zonas (ebullición y sobrecalentamiento) y en el condensador
tres zonas (sobrecalentamiento, condensación y sub enfriamiento), la capacidad de los
intercambiadores de calor es calculadas basados en la capacidad del compresor y la carga térmica. El
condensador es un intercambiador de calor de tubo concéntrico en contracorriente; y el evaporador
es un intercambiador de calor de placa tipo serpentín. El condensador fue diseñado en base al método
de delta de temperatura media logarítmica, evaluando las propiedades en cada zona; y el evaporador
fue diseñado basado en el coeficiente de transferencia de calor por radiación, convección del aire,
coeficiente de transferencia de calor interno del refrigerante, conductividad térmica y un concepto de
factor de eficiencia, tratándose como un problema clásico de transferencia de calor de tubería y aleta.
Además, se estimaron las pérdidas de presión en los intercambiadores de calor y se calculó la cantidad
de la masa del refrigerante. El refrigerante usado en el diseño fue el R134a. Todos los cálculos fueron
hechos a través del solucionador de ecuaciones de ingeniería EES. Los resultados obtenidos en este
trabajo sirven para observer el comportamiento de los intercambiadores de calor espacialmente,
mediante la herramienta EES. Los valores obtenidos experimentalmente coincidieron
satisfactoriamente con los valores proyectados.

Descriptores

Bomba de calor

Colector solar

Condensador

Evaporador de Expansión Directa

Intercambiadores De Calor De Tubo Concéntrico

Radiación Solar

Delta de temperatura medio logarítmico

Diseño de intercambiador de calor

Introduction

The use of fossil fuels has deteriorated the atmosphere and has caused environmental problems due
to the emission of C02, this could be improved if fossil fuel consumption decreases and is replaced
by renewable energy sources [1]. Due to its low impact on the environment, solar energy is considered
as one of the most favorable options to contribute to energy demand with extensive applications in
the industry and the residences [2]. For this reason, it is necessary to look for efficient energy models
to an excellence in the quality of our environment [3].

Heat pumps play a large role today because of the energy savings they provide for heating sanitary
water or heating as well as having a high coefficient of performants (COP) compared to systems
whose source is by an electric heater or gas heater [4,5]

These systems are able to of transferring heat to a fluid either water, air or other fluid, referring to a
heat pump is used when the heat released by the condenser (useful heat) is used to heat other fluid
[6]. These systems have a working fluid usually refrigerants and absorb heat when they evaporate
and release heat when they condense [7]

To improve the COP of the heat pumps, the evaporation temperature rises, and this increase is realized
due to the use of a solar evaporator, this technology takes advantage of the forced and natural
convection of the environment together with the solar radiation to raise the temperature of evaporation
and consequently the cop COP [7]. These machines are used to supply heating and domestic water
heating needs [8].

In this article the objective is to propose a methodology for the design and construction of the heat
pump with solar assistance for heating sanitary water, using R134a as refrigerant fluid.

Nomenclature

𝐴 𝑝 plate area 𝑚2
𝐵 plate width, m
𝑐𝑏 bond conductance
𝑐𝑝 specific heat, J/kg-K
𝐷𝑒 Outer diameter of tube, m
𝐷𝑖 Inside Diameter, m
𝐷𝑇𝑀𝐿 logarithmic mean temperature, °C
𝑑𝑥 length of control volume in the condenser, m
𝑑𝑦 length of control volume in the evaporator-collector, m
𝐹 efficiency of the fin
𝑓 friction factor
𝐹̇ efficiency factor
𝐺 mass speed, kg/m2 s
𝑔 gravity, kg m/s2
𝐻 high plate, m
ℎ𝐼 heat transfer coefficient, given by equation 50
ℎ𝐿𝑆 heat transfer coefficient assuming only liquid phase flowing in the pipe
ℎ𝑁𝑢 heat transfer coefficient, given by equation 51, equation Nusselt
ℎ 𝑇𝑃 heat transfer coefficient of two phases
ℎ𝑓𝑖 transfer coefficient side heat refrigerant collector-evaporator
ℎ𝑖 heat transfer coefficient on the inside of the tube
ℎ𝑜 heat transfer coefficient on the outside of the tube
𝐽𝑔 dimensionless velocity steam
𝑘 thermal conductivity
𝐿 𝑇 length of the heat exchanger
𝑚̇ mass flowkg/s
𝑀 Refrigerant mass kg
𝑁𝑢 Nusselt number
𝑃 Pressure
∆𝑝 pressure delta
𝑃𝑟 Prandtl number
𝑝𝑟 reduced pressure
𝑞 heat
𝑄𝑛 heat control volume , watt
𝑅𝑒 Reynolds number
𝑅𝑒𝐿𝑆 Reynolds number assuming only liquid phase
𝑠 solar radiation, w / m2
𝑇 Temperature
∆𝑇 temperature delta
𝑈 global heat transfer coefficient
𝑈𝑇 heat loss coefficient in the solar collector
𝑉̇ flow rate, m3 / s
V volume, m3
𝑊𝑑 circumferential distance between tubes, m
𝑋𝑡𝑡 Martinelli parameter
𝑍 Potential energy reference height, Shah correlation, parameter equation 49
𝜑2 Multiphase multiplier

Subscripts

𝑎 Water
𝑎𝑖𝑟 air
𝑐 condensation
𝑐𝑢 copper
𝐷 diameter
𝑒 evaporation
𝑒𝑣 boiling
𝑓 Coolant and friction
𝑓𝑖𝑛 fin
𝑔 Vapor phase
𝐻 height
𝑖 input
𝑗 Vector position
𝐿 Low
𝑙 Liquid phase
𝑙𝑠𝑒 Subcooled liquid
𝑚 average
𝑛 Number of control volumes
𝑜 Output
𝑝𝑙 plate
𝑠 sum
𝑠𝑐 Overheating
𝑠𝑒 Subcooling
𝑠𝑝 A phase
𝑡𝑝 Two phases
𝑣𝑐 Control volume
𝑣𝑠𝑐 Superheated steam
𝑧 zone

Greek symbol

𝑣 Specific volume, m3/kg

𝑥 quality
𝛼 Vacuum fraction
𝛾 Bond thickness between plate and tube, m
𝛿 Thickness of the fin, m
𝜃 Plate-evaporator angle, degrees
𝜇 Dynamic viscosity, kg/m-s
𝜌 density kg/m3

Methodology

The zoning methodology was used to obtain the lengths of the heat exchangers, and to observe the
variations of the thermodynamic properties along the distance [9]. First, the thermodynamic cycle of
the machine was designed, in this context, the heat pump cycle in the temperature-enthalpy dome was
projected. Then, through the temperatures and pressures of the compressor working, taken from the
datasheet, the working areas of the heat pump were projected. Thus obtaining the heat of each zone
of each heat exchanger (evaporator, condenser), taking into account the power of the compressor.

The condenser was divided into three zones; The subcooling zone, condensation and overheating.
While the evaporator was divided into two zones: evaporation zone and the zone of overheating. Each
area is explained in detail in the next sections.

After obtaining the dimensions of the heat exchangers, the pressure losses and the amount of
refrigerant mass were calculated. The results were obtained using the EES software, and these were
discussed. The heat pump was built and the temperatures at which they were projected were validated,
in addition, models of pressure loss, etc.

The design was based on the following assumptions.

• The refrigerant in the evaporator enters the mixing state and exits as superheated steam.
• Heat loss from the environment or environment is negligible.
• The pressure loss is negligible in the evaporator and condenser (only for calculating the heat
exchangers).
• The refrigerant in the condenser enters superheated steam and exits as a subcooled liquid.
• The mass flow of water in the condenser is constant
 • The mass flow of the refrigerant is constant
• Compressor power is constant
• The compressor has an isentropic behavior
• The expansion valve has an isenthalpic behavior.

Compressor Performance Parameters

Compressor data are very important, since it indicates its evaporation capacitance [10]. Which
describe the behavior of the compressor as a function of the condensation and evaporation
temperatures. The manufacturer provides a table of compressor performance at different return
temperatures. This table allows to estimate the mass flow of the refrigerant, consumed current, power
and refrigeration capacity. In equations 1 and 2, correspond to the polynomials of the mass flow and
the electric power respectively, depending on the evaporation and condensation temperatures.

𝑃 = 𝑎1 + 𝑎2 𝑇𝑒 + 𝑎3 𝑇𝑒 2 + 𝑎4 𝑇𝑒 3 + (𝑎5 + 𝑎6 𝑇𝑒 + 𝑎7 𝑇𝑒 2 )𝑇𝑐 + (𝑎8 + 𝑎9 𝑇𝑒 )𝑇𝑐 2 + 𝑎10 𝑇𝑐 3 (1)

𝑚̇ = 𝑏1 + 𝑏2 𝑇𝑒 + 𝑏3 𝑇𝑒 2 + 𝑏4 𝑇𝑒 3 + (𝑏5 + 𝑏6 𝑇𝑒 + 𝑏7 𝑇𝑒 2 )𝑇𝑐 + (𝑏8 + 𝑏9 𝑇𝑒 )𝑇𝑐 2 + 𝑏10 𝑇𝑐 3 (2)

The coefficients of the polynomials are described by the performance data sheet provided by the
manufacturer (Tecumseh datasheet). The compressor technical data are listed in table 1. This
compressor was chosen due to the refrigerant used, in this case the R134a. Also to the pressures of
work and power.

Table 1. Technical data of compressor.

Working fluid R134a

manufacturer Tecumseh
Model AE4440Y-AA1A
Type Reciprocating
Input power 550 W
Voltage 115 V
Frequency 60 Hz
Nominal power 1/3 hp
Volumetric displacement 10.33 cm3/Rev.

Cycle thermodynamic

Before starting the sizing of the heat exchangers it is important to be within the thermodynamic cycle,
as is known, the objective is to heat water at a volumetric rate up to the desired outlet temperature.
The flow of heat in the direction of the environment towards the evaporator must be ensured, while
at the same time ensuring the direction of the heat flow of the refrigerant in the condenser into the
water. So the temperatures should be selected properly.
Two aspects are very important are the degree of overheating in the evaporator, which guarantees the
total evaporation of the refrigerant before arrives the compressor and allows to the appropriate
operation of the same. The other aspect is the degree of subcooling of the condenser, which must
ensure that the refrigerant arrived fully in the liquid phase to the inlet line of the expansion valve.

To locate the heat pump in the thermodynamic cycle first consider some assumptions. That the
evaporator and the condenser exchange heat as isobaric processes, that the expansion valve is an
isenthalpic device and the compressor is an isentropic process.

This is analyzed by assuming a steady state regime, where four points of interest are analyzed within
the thermodynamic cycle, as in Fig. 1. The process starts at point 1 (see figure 1) at the compressor
inlet with superheated steam properties due to the temperature of overheating at the outlet of the
evaporator. The compressor increases the pressure and as a consequence the refrigerant temperature
in the outlet (point 2); at the same time passes to the condensation zone (zone 2'-2 "), Of the condenser
until finally arrive the subcooling zone (point 3). The expansion valve being an isenthalpic device
suddenly decreases the pressure at the outlet, causing the refrigerant to pass to the mixing zone of the
evaporator (point 4) with properties of evaporation temperature and quality x4.

Figure 1. cycle thermodynamic of heat pump.

Condenser design

The design of the condenser is based on a three-zone model which is: subcooling, condensation and
superheating (see figure 2), this model is identified by the variation of the heat transfer coefficient
along the pipe being this Treated as three heat exchangers connected in series, the heat exchanger is
divided into small control volumes and a different value of the heat transfer coefficient is then
assigned for each zone. The analysis is developed by a numerical or finite difference method [11].

Figure 2. Model three zones in the of condenser.

In this part the condenser is analyzed from the point of view of heat transfer designed based on DTML
(logarithmic mean temperature delta). The length of the condenser is found by ignoring the loss of
pressure along the exchanger, this being a concentric countercurrent flow tube exchanger (Figure 3).
Heat losses with the environment are neglected.

Figure 3. Control volume of the concentric tube heat exchanger with countercurrent flow. External
flow water and internal flow is the refrigerant.

Single-phase condenser zone.

This explains how the dimensions of the heat exchanger are determined in the single-phase zone of
the heat exchanger, referring to the overheated steam zone or the subcooling zone.

In this zone the heat is calculated, this value is divided into “n” small control volumes. Then with the
inlet and outlet temperature of the refrigerant and the water in each control volume the average
logarithmic temperature and the properties of the refrigerant and the water are determined.

𝑄𝑧 = -𝑚̇ 𝑓 (ℎ2′ − ℎ2𝑣𝑠𝑐 ) (3)

𝑄𝑛 = 𝑄𝑧 /𝑛 (4)

𝑄𝑐 𝑗 = −(ℎ𝑐 𝑖 − ℎ𝑐 𝑖−1 )𝑚̇ 𝑓 ; 𝑇𝑓 𝑖 = 𝑓(ℎ𝑐 𝑗−1 , 𝑝𝑐) ; (5)

𝑄𝑛 = 𝑚̇ 𝑐𝑝𝑎 (𝑇𝑎𝑜 𝑖 − 𝑇𝑎𝑖 𝑖 ) (6)

𝑎

𝑇𝑓𝑖 𝑖−1 and 𝑇𝑓 𝑖 are the inlet and outlet temperatures of the control volume on the refrigerant side.
𝑇𝑎𝑜 𝑖 y 𝑇𝑎𝑖 𝑖 are the inlet and outlet temperature of the control volume on the water side (figure 3).
The inlet temperature in the next control volume is given by the outlet temperature of the previous
control volume and so on until the temperature of the refrigerant decreases to the temperature (𝑇𝑐 in
the case of steam over heated and 𝑇𝑙𝑠𝑒 in the case of being in the subcooled liquid zone). Also the
sums of each heat of the control volumes must be equal to the previously calculated of equation 3.
 Figure 4. Description of the average logarithmic temperature delta in a control volume.

In this way the logarithmic mean temperature delta for the control volume is given by equation 7.
𝑇𝑓𝑖 𝑖 − 𝑇𝑎𝑜 𝑖 − (𝑇𝑓𝑜 𝑖 − 𝑇𝑎𝑖 𝑖 ) (7)
𝐷𝑇𝑀𝐿𝑣𝑐 𝑖 =
𝑇𝑓𝑖 𝑖 − 𝑇𝑎𝑜 𝑖
ln( )
𝑇𝑓𝑖 𝑖 − 𝑇𝑎𝑜 𝑖

Opting for the DTML design methodology [12] the length dx of the control volume is determined
from equation 8.

𝑄𝑛 = 𝑈𝑣𝑐 𝜋𝐷𝑖 𝑑𝑥 𝐷𝑇𝑀𝐿𝑣𝑐 𝑖 (8)

Donde 𝑈𝑣𝑐 es el coeficiente de transferencia de calor global definido por la ecuación 9.

1 (9)
𝑈𝑣𝑐 =
1 1
+
ℎ𝑖 ℎ𝑜

ℎ𝑖 and ℎ𝑜 are the heat transfer coefficients on the inner side and on the external side. According to the
Reynolds regime and the single-phase zone or mixture, the coefficient is determined for both the
refrigerant and the water side, which will be explained in the following sections.

Finally, given all dx of each control volume, the total distance for the single-phase zone of the heat
exchanger is as indicated by equation 10.
𝑛
(10)
𝑙 = ∑ 𝑑𝑥𝑖
𝑖=1

Zone of mixture or biphasic condenser

In this zone the properties of the refrigerant are considered variants as a function of quality, assuming
the temperature of the refrigerant constant as indicated in figure 2. The properties of water are
considered variants as a function of temperature and conditions of saturated liquid. In this zone the
quality of the control volume is varied, obtaining the enthalpy at the input and output of the control
volume at a variation of the quality ∆𝑥𝑐 . The water side temperature profile and the control volume
length dx as in the previous case are determined by equations 6 and 8 respectively. It will then be
explained in more detail.

The quality varies from a saturated vapor value 𝑥𝑐𝑜𝑛 0 = 1 to a saturated liquid value 𝑥𝑐𝑜𝑛 𝑛 = 0. In this
way the quality changes as indicated by equation 11.

𝑥𝑐 𝑗 = 𝑥𝑐 𝑗−1 − 0.01 (11)

ℎ𝑐 𝑗 = ℎ(𝑅134𝑎; 𝑇 = 𝑇𝑐; 𝑥 = 𝑥𝑐 𝑗 ) (12)

The enthalpy is determined with the quality and the condensation temperature (equation 24), ℎ𝑐𝑜𝑛 𝑗−1 ,
ℎ𝑐𝑜𝑛 represents the input and output enthalpy of the control volume correspondingly. In this way the
𝑗

heat of the control volume is given by equation 13.

𝑄𝑐 𝑗 = −(ℎ𝑐 𝑗 − ℎ𝑐 𝑗−1 )𝑚̇ 𝑓 (13)

The water temperature profile is determined by equation 14, and the DTML as in equation 15, only
at constant refrigerant temperature.

𝑄𝑐 𝑗 = 𝑚̇ 𝑐𝑝𝑎 (𝑇𝑎 𝑗−1 − 𝑇𝑎 𝑗 ) (14)

𝑎

𝑇𝑐 − 𝑇𝑎 − (𝑇𝑐 − 𝑇𝑎 𝑗 )
𝑗−1 (15)
𝐷𝑇𝑀𝐿𝑣𝑐 𝑖 =
𝑇𝑐 − 𝑇𝑎 𝑗−1
ln( )
𝑇𝑐 − 𝑇𝑎 𝑗
Design of the solar evaporator

The design of the solar evaporator considers only two zones instead the condenser, since the
expansion valve inside the refrigeration cycle decreases the pressure causing a characteristic quality
term of 20% according to literature [13-16] that can be it interpreted like mixing zone in input of
evaporator. The superheat of the evaporator is due to the increase in the temperature of the refrigerant
at the outlet, which is defined by designer. For this reason, the evaporator is analyzed in two zones,
these being the mixing zone and the superheated steam zone. Then, the projection of the solar
evaporator will be explained.

In the same way as the condenser in a single-phase zone of superheated steam, the evaporator carried
out by the energy balance in small volumes of control, which is analyzed in a methodology used by
John A. Duffie and William A. Beckman and [ 18] - [19] for the analysis of the heat transfer and
thermodynamic mechanism.

The evaporator is a coil type collector which the cooling fluid passes inside a tube in the form of a
coil. See 3D modeling of the coil, figure 5.
 Figure 5. 3D modeling of the coil type evaporator
The heat flow in the evaporator is analyzed in two dimensions, heat flow towards the fluid and the
heat flow between the plate and the tubes. The first is used to determine the length of the evaporator
pipe and the second to determine the area of the plate and the temperature in the average distance
between tubes.

a) b)
Figure 6. Model of the tube and fin on the evaporator.

Steam zone over heated evaporator

The total heat of the zone is divided into n control volumes as in equation 16. This heat is the same
for each control volume, so that with equation 16 the length of the volume of control.
𝑞𝑛 = 𝑊𝑑 𝐹̇ 𝑖 (𝑠 − 𝑈𝑇 (𝑇𝑓𝑚 𝑖 − 𝑇𝑎𝑖𝑟 )) 𝑑𝑦𝑖 (16)
Where 𝐹̇ , 𝑈𝑇 , 𝑊 𝑑 , 𝑇𝑓𝑚 , 𝑑𝑦 represent the efficiency factor, the heat transfer coefficient external global
[17], circumferential distance between tubes, refrigerant fluid average temperature and length of each
Control volume respectively. The subscript “”" indicates the control volume number. The efficiency
factor 𝐹̇ is defined in Equation 17.
1 (17)
𝑈𝑇
𝐹̇ 𝑖 =
1 1 1
𝑊[ + + ]
𝑈𝑇 (𝐷𝑒 + (𝑊 − 𝐷𝑒 )𝐹 𝑖 ) 𝑐𝑏𝑖 ℎ𝑓𝑖 𝜋𝐷𝑖
F, is the efficiency of the fin and is expressed as
𝑊 − 𝐷𝑒 (18)
tanh(𝑚 𝑖 ( 𝑑 ))
𝐹𝑖 = 2
𝑊 − 𝐷𝑒
𝑚 𝑖( 𝑑 )
2
Where
(19)
𝑈𝑇
𝑚𝑖 = √
𝑘𝑐𝑢 𝛿

In equation 17 ℎ𝑓𝑖 represents the coefficient of convective heat transfer in the internal pipe of the
evaporator, which will be explained in the next section.
The inlet temperature in the next control volume is given by the outlet temperature of the previous
control volume and so on until the refrigerant temperature decreases to the evaporation temperature,
equation 20
𝑇𝑓𝑖 𝑖 = 𝑇𝑓𝑜 𝑖−1 (20)

From equation 21 the average temperature in the control volume is determined as follows:
𝑇𝑓𝑖 + 𝑇𝑓𝑜 (21)
𝑇𝑓𝑚 𝑖 =
2

The output temperature of the control volume is determined by equation 22.

𝑞𝑛 = 𝑚𝑓 (ℎ𝑓𝑖 − ℎ𝑓𝑖−1 ) 𝑇𝑓𝑜 = 𝑓(𝑝𝑒𝑣, ℎ𝑓𝑖 ) (22)
From equation 17, 𝑐𝑏𝑖 represents the bond conductance between the plate and the tube, and can be
calculated as follows.
𝑇𝑝 𝑖 − 𝑇𝑓𝑚 𝑖 (23)
𝑞𝑛 = 2𝜋𝑑𝑦𝑖 𝑘𝑖 ( )
𝐷
ln( 𝑒 )
𝐷𝑖
The temperature in the mean distance between the tubes can be considered with equation 24.
𝑠 (24)
𝑇𝑓𝑖𝑛 − 𝑇𝑎𝑖𝑟 − cosh(𝑚𝑥)
𝑈𝑇
𝑠 = 𝑊 − 𝐷𝑒
𝑇𝑝𝑙 𝑖 − 𝑇𝑎𝑖𝑟 −
𝑈𝑇 cosh(𝑚 𝑖 ( 2 ))

After calculating the dy differentials of equation 16, proceed to determine the area of the plate and
the length of the pipe, as follows.
𝐴 𝑝 = 𝑊𝑑 𝐿𝑇 (25)

𝑛
(26)
𝐿𝑇 = ∑ 𝑑𝑦𝑖
𝑖=1
Since the model of the evaporator is two zones, the total area is the sum of the independent results of
each zone, as well as the length. For the biphasic zone the same calculations are made, it is only
different from two aspects; that the heat of each control volume is calculated with a small variation
of the quality, from the heat output from the expansion valve to saturated steam, and the other aspect
is the coefficient of heat transfer ℎ𝑓𝑖 that it uses for biphasic flow.

Coefficient of heat transfer

This section explains the heat transfer coefficients used for the projection of the heat pump, then
explains the heat transfer coefficients for both the single phase and the mixture zone in the condenser
and evaporator. The heat transfer coefficient in the refrigerant side condenser is defined by the
correlation of the Dittus Boelter equation [12] for single-phase zone and the correlation of Shah [20]
for condensation (mixing zone).

The correlations of S. G. Kandlikar [21] were used to find the coefficient of heat transfer in the boiling
or mixing zone of the evaporator. The heat transfer coefficient in the refrigerant side evaporator in
single-phase is defined by the correlation of the Dittus Boelter [12]

For the water side in the condenser, the constant Nusselt number of 4.36 was used for constant heat
flux according to [12], because the Reynolds number for these rates is in laminar regime.

In solar evaporators it is important to model the transfer of heat by radiation between the plate and
the environment and convection of air, in this case it is taken into account the heat transfer by radiation
between plate and sky, and the coefficient of heat transfer by radiation between plate and terrestrial
surface, as quoted in [16], denoted by 𝑈𝑇 .

Pressure loss
Pressure losses in the mechanical compression refrigeration cycle depend on the zone located. The
pressure losses in the single-phase zone were calculated by Fanning in laminar regime and turbulent
regime in the refrigerant. The loss of friction pressure in the mixing zone for the two heat exchangers
is defined by the Lockhart and Martinelli correlation. In the next section we will explain how to
calculate the pressure losses in single-phase zone as well as in the biphasic zone.

Loss of pressure in single phase flow

The loss of friction pressure along a length of the tube in single phase flow depends on the fluid
velocity, the type of material and the type of attachment, however, the fluid velocity defines the
regime with the Reynolds number. Generally, the single phase flow loss is defined as follows.
2𝐺2 (27)
∆𝑝𝑓 = 𝑓
𝜌𝐷𝑖

Where f is the Fanning type friction factor, which this value is a function of the Reynolds number,
which relates the inertial and viscous effects [22]. For circular tubing, the transition between laminar
and turbulent regime is defined by the Reynolds number. For laminar regime 𝑅𝑒𝐷 < 2300, 𝑓 is given
by:
 16 (28)
𝑓=
𝑅𝑒𝐷

For turbulent regime 3000 ≤ 𝑅𝑒𝐷 ≤ 108 the friction factor is given by [15].
150.39 152.66 (29)
𝑓 = 0.25 [log − ]
𝑅𝑒𝐷 0.98865 𝑅𝑒𝐷

Loss of biphasic flow pressure

Pressure losses for internal flow in smooth tubes are the sum of three contributions: static or
gravitational pressure drop, acceleration or dynamic fall, and friction pressure drop [22], [23-25]
Thus, the equation used to estimate the loss of pressure in biphasic zone heat exchangers is defined
by:
𝜕𝑝 𝑑 𝑥2 𝑣𝑣 (𝑥 − 1)2 𝑣𝑙 𝑑𝑝 (30)
= {𝐺2 [ + ]} + {( 𝐹)} + {𝑔 sin 𝜃[𝛼𝜌𝑣 + (1 − 𝛼) 𝜌𝑙 ]}𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑣
𝜕𝑧 𝑑𝑧 𝛼 1−𝛼 𝑑𝑧 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐
𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑙

According to the model of separated phases, the acceleration pressure loss (term acel), relates the
variation of the kinetic energy of the fluid, for the case of biphasic flow with phase change in a
constant section channel [22]. Where α represents the vacuum fraction. This parameter is defined by
the Zivi model [26], which is a method based on the principle of minimum entropy or minimum
energy dissipation of biphasic mixture [22]. Thus, the equation for estimating the vacuum fraction
with the theoretical slip factor is:
1 (31)
𝛼=
1 − 𝑥 𝜌𝑣 𝜌𝑣 1/3
1+( )( )( )
𝑥 𝜌𝑙 𝜌𝑙

The term friction of equation 30 for the contribution of pressure loss by friction is typically estimated
using the method based on biphasic multipliers. The first of these analyzes was developed by Lockhart
and Martinelli in 1949 [22] and [24].
The gravitational loss is defined by the potential energy due to the vertical height of the fluid
measured by the angle θ to the axial plane of the horizontal tube or plane [22-23].

Mass of refrigerant in heat exchangers

The aspect of the amount of refrigerant in a refrigeration system is a topic of importance in the field
of designing the heat pump. This section will explain the equations used to estimate and calculate the
amount of refrigerant mass in the vapor compression refrigeration cycle. The model is based on a
study by Zhang 2014, which analyzes how the refrigerant loading and structure parameters have
effects on thermal cycle performance [27].
In this perspective of optimizing the system, the mathematical model for estimating the refrigerant
charge is carried out for each heat exchanger. Each zone is defined by an equation as follows:
The refrigerant mass in a two-phase section is calculated as 𝑀𝑡𝑝 .
𝑉 (32)
𝑀𝑡𝑝 = ∫ [𝛼𝜌𝑣 + (1 − 𝛼)𝜌𝑙 ]𝑑𝑉
0
Where α, is the fraction of vacuum defined in equation 56. For a single phase it is calculated by.
𝑉 (33)
𝑀𝑠𝑝 = ∫ 𝜌𝑠𝑝 𝑑𝑉
0

Where the density 𝜌𝑠𝑝 can be calculated for liquid or for vapor, 𝜌𝑙 , 𝜌𝑣 respectively. Thus heat
exchangers, such as the condenser and evaporator defined by three and two zones respectively as in
the design section, the mass quantity for each exchanger can be calculated as the mass contribution
of refrigerant from each zone. Being calculated as follows.
𝑀𝑠 = 𝑀𝑡𝑝 + 𝑀𝑠𝑝 (34)

Based on distributed parameters and homogeneous flow model [23] of heat exchangers, the mass of
𝜋 2
refrigerant in each control volume 4 𝐷 𝑑𝑥 is evaluated with the length of the volume of ((𝑑𝑦𝑖 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑥𝑖 )
𝑖 𝑖
and the estimated density with the temperature profile of each zone.

Methodology of solution of the equations

The design solution is carried out using EES (Engineering Equation Solver) software, which has wide
information on the properties of refrigerants and incomprehensible materials. The refrigerant used for
the design was the R134a and the material of the pipe and the plate was copper and aluminum
respectively. The solution of the design is made by starting with the projection of the lengths of the
heat exchangers (one length for each zone) and area of the plate, after it is estimated the loss of
pressure of the same and finally with the calculation of the mass of refrigerant.

Discussion and analysis of results

This part shows graphically the results of the design of the heat pump. The results obtained of EES
program were stored and plotted in Excel, to analyze the behavior of the refrigerant along the heat
exchangers and observe the profiles of temperature of refrigerant and water.

Condenser

The solution of the given equations yielded the dimensions of the condenser, in addition, you can
observe the behavior of the temperature in the two fluids.

Figure 7 shows the temperature profiles in the condenser, both in the refrigerant and in the water,
reference 0 is the refrigerant inlet to the condenser. The temperature of the refrigerant is at a value of
71 ° C and water at 42 ° C until finally the refrigerant exits at 55 ° C which is the subcooling value
selected in the design, guaranteeing the constant temperature delta for the heat exchange of refrigerant
to water.
 Figure 7. Temperature profiles of the refrigerant and water in the condenser.
As can be seen in Figure 8, the heat transfer coefficient in the water does not vary considerably due
to its properties and the low Reynolds number, which guarantees the laminar water regime (Reynolds
<2300)
Also allows to analyze the behavior of the refrigerant along the heat exchanger, the refrigerant enters
a single phase, until its first 2.09 meters. There the refrigerant passes of quality of saturated steam
and diminishes its quality until saturated liquid. As shown in Figure 8, the heat transfer coefficient
increases to a value of 2800 w / m2-k and decreases to 665 w / m2-k. So the total distance in which
he performs the phase change is 7.16 meters. This result is consistent because in the phase change is
where greater heat exchange is performed. The phase change section represents 71.61% of the total
distance, the overheating zone is 20.49% and the subcooling zone 7.9%.

Figure 8. Coefficient of heat transfer side of the water in the condenser

The overall heat transfer coefficient varies from 170 W / m2-K to 219 W / m2-K, due to the low heat
transfer coefficient on the water side.

Table 2. Data condenser

Variable value
Total length 10 m
Nominal diameter of internal 3/8 in
pipe
Nominal diameter of external 5/8 in
pipe
Material internal pipe cupper
Material external pipe plastic
water Temperature outlet 44°C
water Temperature inlet 25°C
Rate flow water 135 L/h

Evaporator

This part shows the sizing of the evaporator and the analysis of the results of the temperature profiles,
heat transfer coefficient and efficiency factor along the length of the evaporator.

Figure 9. Temperature profile in the evaporator

As can be seen in Figure 9, the temperature in the evaporator goes from 10 ° C to 17 ° C assuming
that in the mixing zone the temperature remains constant, this is due to the ability of the evaporator
to absorb the greatest amount of heat, also this assumption allows to evaluate the quality as a
function of length. The overheating is 7 ° C and serves to ensure that the refrigerant evaporates
completely. The temperature of the plate takes a higher value of the refrigerant temperature due to
the geometric feature of the plate and tube joint, making it clear that the temperature is determined
in the direction of the fluid.
 Figure 10. Factor of efficiency.

The behavior observed in Fig. 10 is due to the collector's ability to absorb more heat in the mixing
zone due to the heat transfer coefficient in the phase-moving zone, thus interpreting that this factor
value Efficiency depends on the properties of the coolant and the efficiency of the fin. The efficiency
factor varied from 0.96 to a value of 0.85. The sudden drop is caused by the passage of biphasic zone
to the single-phase zone at a distance of 14.12 m, this being the worst performance zone of the
efficiency factor and is due to the heat transfer coefficient of superheated steam.

Figure 11. Coefficient of heat transfer of refrigerant R134a, evaporator.

Figure 11 shows the variation of the heat transfer coefficient along the evaporator, which decreases
as the quality increases in the zone of phase change. The heat transfer coefficient goes from 2187 w/
k.m2 to 3316 w / k.m2 in the biphasic zone and in the single-phase zone it remains around to 500
w/k.m2.
Table 3. Data evaporator
Variable value
 Total length 16 m
Nominal diameter of internal
3/8 in
pipe
Material pipe cupper
Material de plate Aluminum
Ambient temperature 26°C
Wind speed 1.4 m/s2
Radiation 575 W/m2
Plate area 1.5 m2
Circumferential distance
10 cm
between tubes (w)
Plate Thickness 1 mm

Mass of refrigerant in heat exchangers

The estimate of the amount of refrigerant in each heat exchanger is shown in the table 4.

Table 4. Mass of refrigerant in heat exchangers

Exchanger heat Refrigerant mass
evaporator 0,0389kg
condenser 0,163 kg

Total 0,209 kg

The calculation was based on the results of the table 4. However, to estimate the amount of total
refrigerant, it was necessary to calculate the refrigerant in the compressor, which was estimated
according to the volumetric displacement volume of the compressor and the specific volume to
suction conditions. Then, knowing the connection lengths between the elements (suction line,
discharge line, condenser outlet line and valve outlet line), it was established that the refrigerant
would be at the inlet or outlet conditions of the heat exchangers, depending on where the lines would
be located. The total refrigerant value implemented was 0,315kg.

Prototype description

Figure 12 shows the 3D model of the prototype implemented and Figure 13 presents the final
prototype of the heat pump, in the upper left, the condenser and in the upper right the evaporator. The
connecting piping between the elements was thermally insulated to avoid loss of heat with the ambient
and air condensation. The condenser is shown in Figure 13 (upper left) was isolated with two layers
of expanded polystyrene to reduce the loss of heat by convection with air through the external piping.
Control of the mass flow rate of refrigerant entering the evaporator was regulated by the Swagelok
manufacturer's needle valve type ¼ " model SS-31RS4.
 Figure 12. 3D modeling of the built prototype.

Figure 13. Final prototype implemented

Experimental results

Experimental results were measured over time, due to the difficulty of measure temperatures,
pressures, and other variables spatially to each heat exchanger. The results were taken in steady state
3 minutes after the machine had started.
Figure 14 shows the variation of the exit temperature of the water, which was influenced during
daytime radiation. The value of the projected temperature was 44 ° C, and the temperature in the tests
fluctuated in a value averaged during the day of 40 ° C. This was due to the characteristics of radiation
and external temperature, during the tests. Another explanation for this occurrence was the variation
of water flow in the heat exchanger.

Figure 14. Water outlet temperature.

The figure 15 shows the temperatures of condensation and evaporation to which were measured, in
Figures 9 and 7 of the results of the EES it is noted the temperatures at which they were projected,
and is interesting to observe the little deviation.

Figure 15. Condenser and evaporator temperatures.

The figure 16 shows the pressure losses of the two heat exchangers. Compared with the estimated
values, it is consistent only with the value of the condenser, because with the evaporator there is a
considerable deviation. The error in the model of evaporator pressure losses is due to that the minor
losses were not considered in the model, however the configuration in the form of a coil is not
recommended due to its large loss of pressure. However, it is an easy configuration to build and
economical. It is important to note that the pressure losses in the evaporator were directly affected by
the incident radiation inside the solar collector during the day, which makes it possible to understand
the large fluctuations, shown in figure 16.

Figure 16. Loss pressure in the exchanger of heat.

Figure 17 shows the behavior of the heat pump during a sunny day, where the calorific capacities of
the heat exchangers were directly affected by the radiation during the day, this behavior have
appearance of the Gauss’ hood. Note that the most relevant valleys were caused by the presence of
clouds in the sky. It is also important to observer that from the energy point the power of the
compressor remains constant, regardless of the incident radiation inside the solar collector.

Figure 17. Heat capacity of exchangers of heat.

Figure 18 shows the coefficient of performance for the whole day being a slightly parabolic behavior.
This behavior is due to the rapid heat transfer by conduction in the evaporator directly affected by
solar radiation during the day and where it is possible to observe its highest COP of 4.5 achieved at
the point of maximum radiation during the day. This is the essence of this type of machines that their
heat capacity and performance increases at the same rate of solar radiation.

Figure 18. Coefficient of performance.

Conclusion

The design methodology takes into account the properties of the material and the refrigerant. At the
same time, it is important to highlight that the two and three zone model for heat exchangers is a
methodology that allows observing and taking into account the variation of the heat transfer
coefficient, giving it more accuracy than in a conventional design that assumes only a phase.
The expansion of the fluid was made by a needle valve, for this reason large experimental variations
of the heat pump due to the solar evaporator resulted.
The methodology to estimate the dimensions in the condenser and evaporator were optimal, and
excellent results were obtained compared to those expected.
It is valid to re-estimate the dimensions of the condenser by assuming an overall heat transfer
coefficient of the water, because the overall heat transfer coefficient will be around the water value.
The temperatures of the exchangers were validated with those of the performance sheets of the
compressor, which obtained a negligible error. Also during the experimental tests. The temperatures
of the heat exchangers had fluctuations, due to the variations of the radiation during the day.
The loss of pressure in the evaporator experimentally was greater than the estimated one because the
model was not included the minor losses. In the evaporator, losses of 12.96% were estimated and
measured losses were greater than 15%. In the condenser 3.3% was estimated and almost negligible
losses were measured in the tests as shown in Figure 16. In the condenser it is coherent, because there
is only friction losses and also the dimensions of the heat exchanger.
The heat of the heat exchangers was higher than the estimated heat, and this is due to that in the
calculations the cycle was analyzed with a lower radiation.
It is important to emphasize that the amount of refrigerant mass was an estimated parameter and with
which the machine was loaded, with this result it can be concluded that it was an ideal methodology,
however in future work the tests can be performed to establish which the optimal refrigerant charge
is.
The degrees of subcooling and overheating allow full condensation and evaporation of the refrigerant
respectively in the transition of each heat exchanger, and in this project it was possible to check these
values.
The average daily total COP was 3.19 with a maximum peak of 4.5 and a minimum value of 1.5 that
was influenced under the shadow of a cloud.
The COP in direct expansion heat pumps with solar assistance are superior compared to conventional
heat pumps, it is also necessary to clarify that this characteristic is due to the direct radiation exposed
during the day, but that can be used in these hours of the Day to go storing and thus supply the demand
of hot water for the hours of the night. The experimental results were able to demonstrate that in this
type of machines the energy efficiency can be fully exploited and that this type of applications can be
a technological advance of comfort in Colombia.

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