A study of transcritical carbon dioxide flow through adiabatic capillary tubes

This paper advances a study of the transcritical expansion of carbon dioxide (R-744, CO2) through adiabatic capillary tubes. The influence of both operating conditions (inlet and exit pressures, inlet temperature) and tube geometry (capillary diameter and tube length) on the CO2 mass flow rate was experimentally evaluated using a purpose-built testing facility with a strict control of the measured variables. A dimensionless correlation to predict the refrigerant mass flow rate as a function of tube geometry and operating conditions was developed. In addition, a theoretical model was put forward based on the mass, energy and momentum conservation principles. The model results were compared with experimental data, when it was found that the model predicts 95% of the measured refrigerant mass flow rate within an error band of ±10%. The model was also employed to advance the knowledge about the transcritical carbon dioxide flow through adiabatic capillary tubes.