Experimental modeling of vortex tube refrigerator

An experimental investigation has been performed to realize thorough behavior of a vortex tube system. In this work attention has been focussed on the classification of the parameters affecting vortex tube operation. The effective parameters are divided into two different types, namely geometrical and thermo-physical ones. A reliable test rig has been designed and constructed to investigate the effect of geometrical parameters i.e. diameter and length of main tube, diameter of outlet orifice, shape of entrance nozzle. Thermo-physical parameters which have been designated and studied are inlet gas pressure, type of gas, cold gas mass ratio and moisture of inlet gas. The effects of these parameters on the cold temperature difference and efficiency are discussed and presented. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.