Hello,

The little self contained water chiller I am building needs a suction accumulator.

Ideally the suction line will be 3/8" OD, however the most appropriate suction accumulator I have found (going from the manufacturers tables for refrigeration capacity, pressure drop, oil return rate) has 5/8" connections (and presumably 5/8" internal U-tube).

This would give a much lower vapour velocity than the suction line.
My question is:

- Is seperation of the oil from the refrigerant a problem in very short lengths of vertical line (i.e. a few inches) or is it only a problem in longer pipes?


Cheers All,

James.