Hyung Suk Han
The Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, vol. 23, no. 5, pp.1456-1467, 2009

Abstract : Various refrigerant flow patterns can produce a range of noise types according to their cycle conditions. Consequently, the identification of flow patterns in a tube is crucial to reducing refrigerant-induced noise. Because of the obstacles involved in identifying them accurately by experiment, in this paper, these flow patterns are estimated from the flow pattern map. Working from the assumption that the refrigerant-induced noise for an air conditioner in the heating mode comes from slug flow in the condenser-outlet pipe, the reduction of refrigerant-induced noise by avoiding slug flow in a tube is examined. To fully understand the conditions under which the refrigerant-induced noise occurs, cycle simulator equipment for an outdoor unit is developed. With this cycle simulator, noise tests of 4-way cassette type indoor units are performed under the conditions that the refrigerant-induced noise occurs. Increasing the mass flux in a tube by reducing the diameter of the condenser-outlet pipe can avoid slug flow, and the refrigerant-induced noise can therefore be reduced. The results of the cycle simulator can be verified with an outdoor unit 5HP system multi air conditioner and the results are well in line with simulator results.

Keyword : Refrigerant-induced noise; Evaporator-inlet; Slug flow; Flow pattern map