Development of a micro-channel condenser model using R1234yf as working fluid and compared with R134a.

Based on the existing researches, it is found that the COP and cooling capacity of R134a system may suffer deterioration from direct drop-in replacement of R1234yf, which is related to the relatively poor performance in condenser. The deep understanding of R1234yf condenser could be useful to design an effective R1234yfsystem. In this paper, micro-channel condenser models based on finite volume conception and ε-NTU method are presented, five two-phase flow heat transfer correlations were compared in the models. From the models analyzed, Dobson & Chato’s correlation presents the best agreement with the experimental results. The mean error of the model is 3.2% forR134a and 5% for R1234yf.The model could be used to analyze the detail differences of flow and heat transfer of the two working fluids along the refrigerant flow direction and to design a suitable condenser for R1234yf system.