In recent decades, there has been a continuous evolution in the field of refrigeration regarding methods for increasing system efficiency and research into environmentally friendly refrigerants. In small refrigeration cycles, fixed expansion components (capillary tubes) are commonly used due to their technological simplicity and low cost. These components must, however, be correctly dimensioned to enable the refrigeration cycle to operate efficiently within its operating range. Their sizing is normally based on empirical rules, therefore it is very useful to have experimental data available, especially as the types of adopted refrigerants are constantly evolving. One method to increase the performance of refrigeration cycles is to perform heat recovery between the suction line to the compressor and the capillary tube. The resulting effects are a decrease in vapor quality at the evaporator inlet, reducing the possibility for the liquid to enter the compressor inlet under off-design operating conditions, and enhancing specific cooling capability and COP. In this work, an experimental test rig of a refrigeration cycle using R290 was set up, and performances were compared between such a heat recovery system and an adiabatic capillary tube. Finally, a predictive model adopting HEM (Homogeneous Equilibrium Model) was used to size the adiabatic capillary tube, and results were compared with the experimental ones. The numerical model accurately predicted the behaviour of the capillary tube in the considered conditions.