Development of a Calorimeter for Evaluating Thermal Performance of Evaporators

It is presented in this work a prototype of calorimeter developed to evaluate the thermal performance of fin-and-tube evaporators under steady-state conditions. The calorimeter determines the heat rate absorbed by the evaporator, providing qualitative analysis of performance for a given geometry. The calorimeter domain represents the cooling compartment of household refrigerators because it is closed and does not change neither energy nor mass air (humidity). Like consequence, there is a tendency in dehumidifying the ambient. Parameters such as refrigerant mass flow and evaporation temperature can also be adjusted. Therefore, it is possible to establish favorable conditions in order to test evaporating heat exchangers. Results of evaporator performance in terms of heat fluxes and overall heat transfer coefficient (UA) are presented and discussed as well.