Mathematical modeling of evaporation processes in a heat pump circuit

Objective. In order to improve the control system of an air heat pump and increase its efficiency, it is necessary to take into account as accurately as possible all the elementary stages of the processes occurring in the system under consideration. The article discusses in detail the heat and mass transfer process of evaporation of the refrigerant from the boiling working fluid of a heat pump.Method. Description of heat and mass transfer processes occurring in the evaporator line of an air heat pump.Result. A numerical experiment was carried out to determine the size of the refrigerant droplets that can fly out of the boiling freon liquid during the operation of the heat pump. The calculations performed showed that droplets with a diameter of less than 1 mm have time to evaporate in the vapor flow during the movement from the boiling zone to the droplet eliminator located in front of the compressor.Conclusion. Research will make it possible to develop recommendations for the design of the droplet collection unit, as well as to develop models for optimizing the operating modes of air source heat pumps.