As the phase-out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) approaches, there is a current need for the development of new vapor compression chillers which can operate with non-CFC refrigerants while still maintaining high operating efficiencies. Redesign of the traditional flooded evaporator used in refrigeration chillers so as to incorporate a spray evaporation capability offers both a potential for increased heat transfer performance and a reduction in refrigerant inventory for a given chiller capacity relative to that found with existing industrial units.

This study is an evaluation of the spray evaporation heat transfer performance of refrigerants HFC-13 4a, HCFC-22, and HCFC-123 with commercially available copper alloy tubes. In addition, the effects of small concentrations of oil on the spray evaporation heat transfer process are also investigated.