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An Evaluation of Improper Refrigerant Charge on the Performance of a Split System Air Conditioner with Capillary Tube Expansion
Abstract
The effect of the improper charging on the performance
(capacity, EER, power consumption, SEER, and coefficient of
degradation) of a residential air conditioner during the
steady state (wet and dry coils) and cycling operation was
investigated. The fully charged condition was established as
a base case. A full charge was obtained charging the unit to
the superheat specified by the manufacturer's charging
chart for specific set of indoor and outdoor temperatures.
Once the full charge was determined, the unit was subjected
to 20%, 15%, 10%, and 5% under and overcharging of
refrigerant (by mass). The fully charged tests were compared
to under and overcharging. The performance of the unit was
evaluated as a function of charge as well as at four outdoor
room temperatures (82°F, 90°F, 95°F, and 100°F). As the
outdoor temperature increased, the total capacity and EER
dropped. The investigation of improper charging showed that
the total capacity, EER, and SEER were more sensitive to
undercharging than overcharging conditions. A 20%
undercharge resulted in a 21% reduction in SEER while a 20%
overcharge produced a 11% reduction in SEER. Other data such
as refrigerant flow rate, sensible heat ratio, superheat and
subcooling are also presented.
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Citation
Farzad, M.; O'Neal, D. L. (1988). An Evaluation of Improper Refrigerant Charge on the Performance of a Split System Air Conditioner with Capillary Tube Expansion. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu), Texas A&M University; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /2041.