Progress in two-phase flow-induced noise of small scale refrigeration system

Abstract

Progress in flow-induced noise of refrigerant was systematically reviewed. The analysis of two-phase flow theory shows that time gradient of the pressure drop is the root cause of flow-induced noise. Flow pattern significantly influences on the pressure drop, and the fluctuation of pressure drop causes vibration and noise along the pipeline. The cavitation dynamics shows that bubble size and shape change are influenced by the flow pattern, and the change of acoustic characteristics is represented. The influence of various factors on flow-induced noise was described from the aspects of thermodynamics and the structure of pipeline and throttling element. Effective methods for suppressing two-phase flow-induced noise were comprehensively compared. Researching methods of two-phase flow-induced noise were summarized from experimental and numerical simulation. Future interest will be focused on the quantitative research of flow-induced noise, and correlations will be proposed based on the characteristic parameters for the noise. Noise suppression methods will be proposed for the guideline of optimal design for refrigeration system.