This paper presents a prediction method of flow regimes during evaporation of pure refrigerants in a horizontal spirally grooved steel tube with 12mm in average inner diameter. Circumferential temperature distributions on the external surface of the tube and boiling heat transfer coefficients were obtained through the experiments on the flow boiling heat transfer using two kinds of fluorocarbon refrigerants, HCFC123 and HCFC22. Based on the temperature distributions and the characteristics of heat transfer coefficient against vapor quality, we discussed the conditions of liquid film formed on the heat transfer surface. The experimental data were classified into four kinds of flow regimes according to the viewpoint on the liquid film conditions and heat transfer characteristics: annular flow, annular flow with liquid meniscus, separated flow with liquid meniscus and separated flow with dry surface. In order to predict the transition quality from separated flow to annular flow, we developed the correlation for border angle of well-wetted perimeter for the present grooved tube based on the Mori et al. correlation proposed for smooth tubes. The correlation for the transitional quality between separated flow with dry surface and separated flow with liquid meniscus was developed empirically as well as the correlation for the transient transitional quality between annular flow and annular flow with liquid meniscus.
