Measurements of pool-boiling heat transfer coefficients in distilled water and R-134a/oil mixtures with up to 10 percent (by weight) miscible EMKARATE RL refrigeration lubricant oil are extensively studied for a smooth tube and four rib-roughened tubes (rib pitch 39.4 mm, rib height 4 mm, rib width 15 mm, number of rib element 8, rib angle 30 deg–90 deg). Boiling data of pure refrigerants and oil mixtures, as well as the influences of heat flux level on heat transfer coefficient, are presented and discussed. A correlation is developed for predicting the heat transfer coefficient for both pure refrigerants and refrigerant-oil mixtures. Moreover, boiling visualizations were made to broaden our fundamental understanding of the pool boiling heat transfer mechanism for rib roughened surfaces with pure refrigerants and refrigerant-oil mixtures.
