Refrigeration System Performance using Liquid-Suction Heat ExchangersS. A. Klein, D. T. Reindl, and K. BroWnellCollege of EngineeringUniversity of Wisconsin - MadisonAbstractHeat transfer devices are provided in many refrigeration systems to exchange energy betWeen the cool gaseous refrigerant leaving the evaporator and Warm liquid refrigerant exiting the condenser. These liquid-suction or suction-line heat exchangers can, in some cases, yield improved system performance While in other cases they degrade system performance. Although previous researchers have investigated performance of liquid-suction heat exchangers, this study can be distinguished from the previous studies in three Ways. First, this paper identifies a neW dimensionless group to correlate performance impacts attributable to liquid-suction heat exchangers. Second, the paper extends previous analyses to include neW refrigerants. Third, the analysis includes the impact of pressure drops through the liquid-suction heat exchanger on system performance. It is shoWn that reliance on simplified analysis techniques can lead to inaccurate conclusions regarding the impact of liquid-suction heat exchangers on refrigeration system performance. From detailed analyses, it can be concluded that liquid-suction heat exchangers that have a minimal pressure loss on the loW pressure side are useful for systems using R507A, R134a, R12, R404A, R290, R407C, R600, and R410A. The liquid-suction heat exchanger is detrimental to system performance in systems using R22, R32, and R717.IntroductionLiquid-suction heat exchangers are commonly installed in refrigeration systems With the intent of ensuring proper system operation and increasing system performance.Specifically, ASHRAE(1998) states that liquid-suction heat exchangers are effective in:1) increasing the system performance2) subcooling liquid refrigerant to prevent flash gas formation at inlets to expansion devices3) fully evaporating any residual liquid that may remain in the liquid-suction prior to reaching the compressor(s)Figure 1 illustrates a simple direct-expansion vapor compression refrigeration system utilizing a liquid-suction heat exchanger. In this configuration, high temperature liquid leaving the heat rejection device (an evaporative condenser in this case) is subcooled prior to being throttled to the evaporator pressure by an expansion device such as a thermostatic expansion valve. The sink for subcooling the liquid is loW temperature refrigerant vapor leaving the evaporator. Thus, the liquid-suction heat exchanger is an indirect liquid-to-vapor heat transfer device. The vapor-side of the heat exchanger (betWeen the evaporator outlet and the compressor suction) is often configured to serve as an accumulator thereby further minimizing the risk of liquid refrigerant carrying-over to the compressor suction. In cases Where the evaporator alloWs liquid carry-over, the accumulator portion of the heat exchanger Will trap and, over time, vaporize the liquid carryover by absorbing heat during the process of subcooling high-side liquid.BackgroundStoecker and Walukas (1981) focused on the influence of liquid-suction heat exchangers in both single temperature evaporator and dual temperature evaporator systems utilizing refrigerant mixtures. Their analysis indicated that liquid-suction heat exchangers yielded greater performance improvements When nonazeotropic mixtures Were used compared With systems utilizing single component refrigerants or azeoptropic mixtures. McLinden (1990) used the principle of corresponding states to evaluate the anticipated effects of neW refrigerants. He shoWed that the performance of a system using a liquid-suction heat exchanger increases as the ideal gas specific heat (related to the molecular complexity of the refrigerant) increases. Domanski and Didion (1993) evaluated the performance of nine alternatives to R22 including the impact of liquid-suction heat exchangers. Domanski et al. (1994) later extended the analysis by evaluating the influence of liquid-suction heat exchangers installed in vapor compression refrigeration systems considering 29 different refrigerants in a theoretical analysis. Bivens et al. (1994) evaluated a proposed mixture to substitute for R22 in air conditioners and heat pumps. Their analysis indicated a 6-7% improvement for the alternative refrigerant system When system modifications included a liquid-suction heat exchanger and counterfloW system heat exchangers (evaporator and condenser). Bittle et al. (1995a) conducted an experimental evaluation of a liquid-suction heat exchanger applied in a domestic refrigerator using R152a. The authors compared the system performance With that of a traditional R12-based system. Bittle et al. (1995b) also compared the ASHRAE method for predicting capillary tube performance (including the effects of liquid-suction heat exchangers) With experimental data. Predicted capillary tube mass floW ra