Flow pattern and pressure drop of pure refrigerants and their mixture in horizontal tube

Two-Phase flow pattern and pressure drop data were obtained for pure refrigerants R134a and R123 and their mixtures as test fluids in a horizontal tube. The flow pattern is observed through tubular sight glasses located at inlet and outlet of the test section. The flow map of Baker developed for air-water two-phase flow at atmospheric pressure failed to predict the observed flow patterns at the higher value of the mass velocity used in the present study. The map of Kattan et al. predicted the data well over the entire region of mass velocity selected in the present study. The measured pressure drop increased with an increase in vapor quality and mass velocity. A new two-phase multiplier was developed from a dimensional analysis of the frictional pressure drop data measured in the present experiment. This new multiplier was found successfully to correlate the frictional pressure drop.