Technical Paper
Study of Flashing Flows Entering Evacuated Sampling Cylinders for Oil Circulation Rate Measurement in an Automotive Air Conditioning System
2023-04-11
2023-01-0140
The oil circulation rate (OCR) is a deciding factor for the performance of automotive air conditioning systems at both the system and component levels. OCR is defined as the percentage by mass of oil present in a representative sample of oil-refrigerant mixture drawn from the system at steady state. In recent years, many industries are opting for low-OCR compressors, and so the OCR values are getting smaller, making it even more important to be able to accurately measure the OCR in the system. All the different OCR measurement techniques rely on the ASHRAE Standard 41.4 for proper calibration. This standard describes OCR measurement using a sampling technique which involves connecting an evacuated sampling cylinder at the liquid line of the system at steady state to draw a sample containing the liquid mixture of refrigerant and oil. However, several factors such as orientation of sampling cylinder and valve opening speed can affect the OCR results.