Optimization of distribution uniformity of evaporator orifice plate distributor

The distribution uniformity of the two-phase refrigerant has an important impact on the heat transfer efficiency of the heat exchanger. Uneven liquid distribution leads to thermal imbalance in the heat exchanger, which will reduce the heat transfer efficiency. This study aims to improve the uniformity of two-phase refrigerant distribution and conducts optimization research on orifice plate distributors. It explores the effects of orifice arrangement, size, and cascade effect between multi-stage orifice plates on refrigerant distribution and flow pressure drop. This study proposes the Taguchi design method to obtain the sensitivity analysis of different influencing factors on distribution performance and uses the response surface method to obtain the influence of orifice-plate distributor structural factors on distribution performance. The results show that the uniformity of the optimized structure is improved by 86.0 %, and the pressure drop increases by only 22.9 %. A method coupling multi-stage distribution performance and flow resistance optimization is proposed to improve the uniformity of refrigerant distribution, and obtains an optimized combination plan combining the number of stages, pore diameter, and pore spacing.