The principle objective of this paper is to study the flow characteristics of an electronically operated refrigerant solenoid valve and develop a design in which the valve displays the optimal flow capacity. By changing various dimensions within the valve, the flow characteristics can change dramatically. Some of the main areas of concern are the main orifice diameter, the piston bore diameter, inlet and outlet diameters, piston travel length, etc. Each of these areas will be explored by means of the simulation software. The simulation for the flow of the solenoid valve will be done using Solidworks Simulation on several configurations in which these variables have been changed slightly. This will then be compared to actual experimental results of fabricated prototype valves of a few different configurations. The experiments will be performed using water as the media per ASHRAE standard 158.1. This standard specifies the test setup and the proper procedure to conduct the test.
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