Effects of fin shape on condensation in herringbone microfin tubes

Effects of fin height and helix angle on condensation inside a herringbone microfin tube have been experimentally investigated with five types of herringbone microfin tubes. Heat transfer coefficients are about 2–4 times higher than that of the helical microfin tube under high mass velocity conditions. In the low mass velocity, they are equal to that of the helical microfin tube. The heat transfer enhancement increases with fin height up to 0.18 mm; higher fin heights show enhancement values similar to the 0.18 mm results. Pressure drop increases with the fin height. Larger helix angle yields higher heat transfer and higher pressure drop. For the lowest fin and/or smallest helix angle, the pressure drop is comparable with that of the helical microfin tube, while the heat transfer enhancement is higher. The enhancement mechanism is discussed from flow pattern observations. Effect of mass transfer resistance for R410A is estimated and negligible effects have been proved.     

Condensation of refrigerants in horizontal microfin tubes: comparison of prediction methods for heat transfer

A comparison was made between the predictions of previously proposed empirical correlations and theoretical model and available experimental data for the heat transfer coefficient during condensation of refrigerants in horizontal microfin tubes. The refrigerants tested were R11, R123, R134a, R22 and R410A. Experimental data for six tubes with the tube inside diameter at fin root of 6.49–8.88 mm, the fin height of 0.16–0.24 mm, fin pitch of 0.34–0.53 mm and helix angle of groove of 12–20° were adopted. The r.m.s. error of the predictions for all tubes and all refrigerants decreased in the order of the correlations proposed by Luu and Bergles [ASHRAE Trans. 86 (1980) 293], Cavallini et al. [Cavallini A, Doretti L, Klammsteiner N, Longo L G, Rossetto L. Condensation of new refrigerants inside smooth and enhanced tubes. In: Proc. 19th Int. Cong. Refrigeration, vol. IV, Hague, The Netherlands, 1995. p. 105–14], Shikazono et al. [Trans. Jap. Sco. Mech. Engrs. 64 (1995) 196], Kedzierski and Goncalves [J. Enhanced Heat Transfer 6 (1999) 16], Yu and Koyama [Yu J, Koyama S. Condensation heat transfer of pure refrigerants in microfin tubes. In: Proc. Int. Refrigeration Conference at Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, USA, 1998. p. 325–30], and the theoretical model proposed by Wang et al. [Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 45 (2002) 1513].     

Evaporation of R407C and R410A in a horizontal herringbone microfin tube: heat transfer and pressure drop

Based on experimental data for R134a, the present work deals with the development of a prediction method for heat transfer in herringbone microfin tubes. As is shown in earlier works, heat transfer coefficients for the investigated herringbone microfin tube tend to peak at lower vapour qualities than in helical microfin tubes. Correlations developed for other tube types fail to describe this behaviour. A hypothesis that the position of the peak is related to the point where the average film thickness becomes smaller than the fin height is tested and found to be consistent with observed behaviour. The proposed method accounts for this hypothesis and incorporates the well-known Steiner and Taborek correlation for the calculation of flow boiling heat transfer coefficients. The correlation is modified by introducing a surface enhancement factor and adjusting the two-phase multiplier. Experimental data for R134a are predicted with an average residual of 1.5% and a standard deviation of 21%. Tested against experimental data for mixtures R410A and R407C, the proposed method overpredicts experimental data by around 60%. An alternative adjustment of the two-phase multiplier, in order to better predict mixture data, is discussed.     

Condensation of refrigerants in horizontal microfin tubes: comparison of correlations for frictional pressure drop

This paper presents a comprehensive comparison of eight previously proposed correlations with available experimental data for the frictional pressure drop during condensation of refrigerants in helically grooved, horizontal microfin tubes. Calculated values are compared with experimental data for seven refrigerants (R11, R123, R134a, R22, R32, R125 and R410A) and eight tubes and with mass velocity from 78 to 459 kg/m² s. The tubes had inside diameter at the fin root between 6.41 and 8.91 mm; the fin height varied between 0.15 and 0.24 mm; the fin pitch varied between 0.34 and 0.53 mm and helix angle between 13 and 20°. The results show that the overall r.m.s. deviations of relative residuals of frictional pressure gradient for all tubes and all refrigerants taking together decreased in the order of the correlations of Nozu et al. [Exp. Therm. Fluid Sci. 18 (1998) 82], Newell and Shah [Refrigerant heat transfer, pressure drop, and void fraction effects in microfin tubes. In: Proc. 2nd Int. Symp. on Two-Phase Flow and Experimentation, vol. 3. Italy: Edizioni ETS; 1999. p. 1623–39], Kedzierski and Goncalves [J. Enhanced Heat Transfer 6 (1999) 161], Cavallini et al. [Heat Technol. 15 (1997) 3], Goto et al. (b) [Int. J. Refrigeration 24 (2001) 628], Choi et al. [Generalized pressure drop correlation for evaporation and condensation in smooth and microfin tubes. In: Proc. of IIF-IIR Commision B1, Paderborn, Germany, B4, 2001. p. 9–16], Haraguchi et al. [Condensation heat transfer of refrigerants HCFC134a, HCFC123 and HCFC22 in a horizontal smooth tube and a horizontal microfin tube. In: Proc. 30th National Symp. of Japan, Yokohama, 1993. p. 343–5], and Goto et al. (a) [Int. J. Refrigeration 24 (2001) 628], i.e., this final correlation (Goto et al. (a)) gives the best overall representation of the data.     

Refrigerant charge, pressure drop, and condensation heat transfer in flattened tubes

Horizontal smooth and microfinned copper tubes with an approximate diameter of 9 mm were successively flattened in order to determine changes in flow field characteristics as a round tube is altered into a flattened tube profile. Refrigerants R134a and R410A were investigated over a mass flux range from 75 to 400 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ and a quality range from approximately 10–80%. For a given refrigerant mass flow rate, the results show that a significant reduction in refrigerant charge is possible. Pressure drop results show increases of pressure drop at a given mass flux and quality as a tube profile is flattened. Heat transfer results indicate enhancement of the condensation heat transfer coefficient as a tube is flattened. Flattened tubes with an 18° helix angle displayed the highest heat transfer coefficients. Smooth tubes and axial microfin tubes displayed similar levels of heat transfer enhancement. Heat transfer enhancement is dependent on the mass flux, quality and tube profile.     

Friction factor correlation and pressure loss of single-phase flow inside herringbone microfin tubes

Pressure drop of single-phase turbulent flow inside herringbone microfin tubes of different fin dimensions has been measured experimentally to develop a general correlation of single-phase friction factor for the herringbone tubes. Water has been used as a working fluid and the mass flow rate has been varied from 0.03 to 0.2 kg/s, where the Reynolds number range is 10⁴ to 6.5 × 10⁴. Comparison of experimental data of the herringbone microfin tubes with those of helical microfin and smooth tubes shows that pressure drop of the herringbone tube is significantly higher than the helical and smooth tubes depending on the fin geometric parameters and mass velocity of the working fluid. Through semi-analytical approach and using the present experimental data, a new correlation of single-phase friction factor for the herringbone microfin tubes has been proposed incorporating the effects of fin geometric parameters. The proposed correlation can predict the experimental data within ±10%.     

Condensation heat transfer coefficients of R22, R407C, and R410A on a horizontal plain, low fin, and turbo-C tubes

In this study, condensation heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) were measured on a horizontal plain tube, low fin tube, and Turbo-C tube at the saturated vapor temperature of 39 °C for R22, R407C, and R410A with the wall subcooling of 3–8 °C. R407C, a non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture, exhibited a quite different condensation phenomenon from those of R22 and R410A and its condensation HTCs were up to 50% lower than those of R22. For R407C, as the wall subcooling increased, condensation HTCs decreased on a plain tube while they increased on both low fin and turbo-C tubes. This was due to the lessening effect of the vapor diffusion film with a rapid increase in condensation rate on enhanced tubes. On the other hand, condensation HTCs of R410A, almost an azeotrope, were similar to those of R22. For all refrigerants tested, condensation HTCs of turbo-C tube were the highest among the tubes tested showing a 3–8 times increase as compared to those of a plain tube.     

Evaporating heat transfer of R22 and R410A in horizontal smooth and microfin tubes

An experimental investigation of condensation heat transfer in 9.52 mm O.D. horizontal copper tubes was conducted using R22 and R410A. The test rig had a straight, horizontal test section with an active length of 0.92 m and was cooled by the heat transfer fluid (cold water) circulated in a surrounding annulus. Constant heat flux of 11.0 kW/m² was maintained throughout the experiment and refrigerant quality varied from 0.9 to 0.1. The condensation test results at 45 °C were reported for 40–80 kg/h mass flow rate. The local and average condensation coefficients for seven microfin tubes were presented compared to those for a smooth tube. The average condensation coefficients of R22 and R410A for the microfin tubes were 1.7–3.19 and 1.7–2.94 times larger than those in smooth tube, respectively.     

Condensation heat transfer and pressure drop in flattened microfin tubes having different aspect ratios

In this study, condensation heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops of R-410A are obtained in flattened microfin tubes made from 7.0 mm O.D. round microfin tubes. The test range covers saturation temperature 45 °C, mass flux 100–400 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ and quality 0.2–0.8. Results show that the effect of aspect ratio on condensation heat transfer coefficient is dependent on the flow pattern. For annular flow, the heat transfer coefficient increases as aspect ratio increases. For stratified flow, however, the heat transfer coefficient decreases as aspect ratio increases. The pressure drop always increases as aspect ratio increases. Possible reasoning is provided based on the estimated flow pattern in flat microfin tubes. Comparison with existing round microfin tube correlations is made.     

Experimental measurements for condensation of downward-flowing R123/R134a in a staggered bundle of horizontal low-finned tubes with four fin geometriesMesures expérimentales de la condensation lors de l'éoulement vertical d'un mélange de R123 et de R134a sur un faisceau de tubes en quinconce munis de quatre types d'ailettes

Experiments were conducted to obtain row-by-row heat and mass transfer data during condensation of downward-flowing zeotropic mixture R123/R134a in a staggered bundle of horizontal low-finned tubes. The vapor temperature and the mass fraction of R134a at the tube bundle inlet were about 50°C and 14%, respectively. The refrigerant mass velocity ranged from 9 to 34 kg m⁻² s⁻¹, and the condensation temperature difference from 1.9 to 12 K. Four kinds of low-finned tubes with different fin geometry were tested. The highest heat transfer coefficient was obtained with a tube which showed the highest performance for R123. However, the diference among the tubes was much smaller for the mixture than for R123. The heat transfer coefficient and the vapor-phase mass transfer coefficient decreased significantly with decreasing mass velocity. The mass transfer coefficient increased with condensation temperature difference, which was due to the effect of suction associated with condensation. On the basis of the analogy between heat and mass transfer, a dimensionless correlation of the mass transfer coefficient was developed for each tube.     

Flow pattern and heat transfer characteristics during flow boiling of CO2 in a horizontal micro fin tube and comparison with smooth tube data

Flow pattern observations and measurements of the heat transfer in a helical grooved micro fin tube are presented and compared with results for a smooth tube. The micro fin tube used (OD of 9.52 mm) was a Wieland Cuprofin EDX tube with 60 fins (height 0.25 mm) and a helix angle of 18°. The flow pattern observations at 39.7 bar (T_s=+5 °C, p_r=0.54) and 26.4 bar (T_s=−10 °C, p_r=0.36) show a wide range of the annular flow region. The transition from slug to annular flow does not occur, as expected, at constant vapour quality for all mass fluxes but there is an interdependence between transition vapour quality and mass flux. For the heat transfer in the micro fin tube, measurements at 39.7 bar are presented for heat fluxes up to 120 kW m⁻², mass fluxes between 75 and 250 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ and vapour qualities between 0.1 and 0.9.     

Flow condensation heat transfer coefficients of R22, R134a, R407C, and R410A inside plain and microfin tubes

Flow condensation heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) of R22, R134a, R407C, and R410A inside horizontal plain and microfin tubes of 9.52 mm outside diameter and 1 m length were measured at the condensation temperature of 40 °C with mass fluxes of 100, 200, and 300 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ and a heat flux of 7.7–7.9 kW m⁻². For a plain tube, HTCs of R134a and R410A were similar to those of R22 while HTCs of R407C are 11–15% lower than those of R22. For a microfin tube, HTCs of R134a were similar to those of R22 while HTCs of R407C and R410A were 23–53% and 10–21% lower than those of R22. For a plain tube, our correlation agreed well with the present data for all refrigerants exhibiting a mean deviation of 11.6%. Finally, HTCs of a microfin tube were 2–3 times higher than those of a plain tube and the heat transfer enhancement factor decreased as the mass flux increased for all refrigerants tested.     

R404A condensing under forced flow conditions inside smooth, microfin and cross-hatched horizontal tubes

Two-phase heat transfer coefficient characteristics of R404A condensing under forced flow conditions inside smooth, microfin and cross-hatched horizontal tubes are experimentally investigated. Experimental parameters include a lubricating polyol ester oil concentration varied from 0 to 4%. The test runs were done at average inlet saturated condensing temperatures of 40 °C. The inlet vapor was kept at saturation (quality=1.0). The mass fluxes were between 200 and 600 kg/m² s, and the heat fluxes were selected to obtain a quality of 0.0 at the outlet of the test section, varying from 5 to 45 kW/m². The heat transfer enhancement factor varied between 1.8 and 2.4 for both microfin and cross-hatched tubes. The larger values applied for larger mass fluxes for the cross-hatched tube and smaller mass fluxes for the microfin tube. Enhancement factors increased as oil concentration increased up to oil concentrations of 2%. For higher oil concentrations the enhancement decreased especially at high mass fluxes, the cross-hatched tube being less sensitive to oil contamination. Pressure drop in the test section increased by approximately 25% as the oil concentration increased from 0 to 4%. The results from the experiments are compared with those calculated from correlations reported in the literature. Moreover, modified correlations for the condensation heat transfer coefficient are proposed for practical applications.     

Prediction of condensation pressure drop inside herringbone microfin tubes

A generalized prediction correlation of condensation pressure drop inside herringbone microfin tubes has been proposed which includes the new empirical correlation of two-phase frictional multiplier and author’s previously proposed correlation of single-phase friction factor for herringbone microfin tubes. Three existing correlations and the newly proposed correlation of condensation pressure drop for herringbone microfin tubes have been compared with the available experimental data of five herringbone microfin tubes during condensation of R410A. From the results of overall root-mean-square (r.m.s.) deviations of relative residuals of condensation pressure drop for all tubes, proposed correlation shows best performance. Proposed correlation can also predict other experimental data of two-phase pressure drop of R410A during adiabatic two-phase flow and previously measured data of condensation pressure drop of R22 within ±20% which are not used to develop the proposed correlation.     

Condensation heat transfer and flow pattern inside a herringbone-type micro-fin tubeTransfert de chaleur lors de la condensation et configuration de l'écoulement à l'intérieur d'un tube à microailettes à chevrons

Condensation heat transfer and pressure drop of R410A and R22 in a newly proposed herringbone-type micro-fin tube are measured and compared to those of a helical micro-fin tube and a smooth tube. The heat transfer coefficient of the herringbone micro-fin tube is higher than that of the helical micro-fin tube in the high mass velocity region, while it has slightly lower value in the low mass velocity region. Pressure drop of the herringbone micro-fin tube is, however, higher than that of the helical micro-fin tube. Flow patterns of the herringbone micro-fin tube are observed and the heat transfer enhancement mechanism is discussed. The heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of the helical micro-fin tube is predicted well with previously proposed correlations, while those of the herringbone-type micro-fin tube has higher value than the predicted values. Preliminary correlations for the pressure drop and the heat transfer coefficient are proposed for the herringbone micro-fin tube.     

Condensation and evaporation heat transfer of R410A inside internally grooved horizontal tubes

Heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop were measured for condensation and evaporation of R410A and HCFC22 inside internally grooved tubes. The experiments were performed for a conventional spiral groove tube of 8.01 mm o.d. and 7.30 mm mean i.d., and a herring-born groove tube of 8.00 mm o.d. and 7.24 mm mean i.d. To measure the local heat transfer coefficients and pressure drop, the test section was subdivided into four small sections having 2 m working length. The ranges of refrigerant mass flow density was from 200 to 340 kg/(m² s) for both condensation and evaporation of R410A and HCFC22, and the vapour pressure was 2.41 MPa for condensation and 1.09 MPa for the evaporation of R410A. The obtained heat transfer data for R410A and HCFC22 indicate that the values of the local heat transfer coefficients of the herring-bone grooved tube are about twice as large as those of spiral one for condensation and are slightly larger than those of spiral one for the evaporation. The measured local pressure drop in both condensation and evaporation is well correlated with the empirical equation proposed by the authors.     

Convective boiling performance of refrigerant R-134a in herringbone and microfin copper tubes

This paper reports an experimental investigation of convective boiling heat transfer and pressure drop of refrigerant R-134a in smooth, standard microfin and herringbone copper tubes of 9.52 mm external diameter. Tests have been conducted under the following conditions: inlet saturation temperature of 5 °C, qualities from 5 to 90%, mass velocity from 100 to 500 kg s⁻¹ m⁻², and a heat flux of 5 kW m⁻². Experimental results indicate that the herringbone tube has a distinct heat transfer performance over the mass velocity range considered in the present study. Thermal performance of the herringbone tube has been found better than that of the standard microfin in the high range of mass velocities, and worst for the smallest mass velocity (G=100 kg s⁻¹ m⁻²) at qualities higher than 50%. The herringbone tube pressure drop is higher than that of the standard microfin tube over the whole range of mass velocities and qualities. The enhancement parameter is higher than one for both tubes for mass velocities lower than 200 kg s⁻¹ m⁻². Values lower than one have been obtained for both tubes in the mass velocity upper range as a result of a significant pressure drop increment not followed by a correspondent increment in the heat transfer coefficient.     

Heat transfer, pressure drop, and flow pattern recognition during condensation inside smooth, helical micro-fin, and herringbone tubes

This paper presents a study of flow regimes, pressure drops, and heat transfer coefficients during refrigerant condensation inside a smooth, an 18° helical micro-fin, and a herringbone tubes. Experimental work was conducted for condensing refrigerants R-22, R-407C, and R-134a at an average saturation temperature of 40 °C with mass fluxes ranging from 400 to 800 kg m⁻² s⁻¹, and with vapour qualities ranging from 0.85 to 0.95 at condenser inlet and from 0.05 to 0.15 at condenser outlet. These test conditions represent annular and intermittent (slug and plug) flow conditions. Results showed that transition from annular flow to intermittent flow, on average for the three refrigerants, occurred at a vapour quality of 0.49 for the smooth tube, 0.29 for the helical micro-fin tube, and 0.26 for the herringbone tube. These transition vapour qualities were also reflected in the pressure gradients, with the herringbone tube having the highest pressure gradient. The pressure gradients encountered in the herringbone tube were about 79% higher than that of the smooth tube and about 27% higher than that of the helical micro-fin tube. A widely used pressure drop correlation for condensation in helical micro-fin tubes was modified for the case of the herringbone tube. The modified correlation predicted the data within a 1% error with an absolute deviation of 7%. Heat transfer enhancement factors for the herringbone tube against the smooth tube were on average 70% higher while against the helical micro-fin tube it was 40% higher. A correlation for predicting heat transfer coefficients inside a helical micro-fin tube was modified for the herringbone tube. On average the correlation predicted the data to within 4% with an average standard deviation of 8%.     

Condensation heat transfer coefficients of enhanced tubes with alternative refrigerants for CFC11 and CFC12Coefficients de transfert de chaleur de condensation de tubes à surface augmentée fonctionnant avec des frigorigènes de remplacement de CFC11 et de CFC12

In this study, condensation heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) of a plain tube, low fin tube, and Turbo-C tube were measured for the low pressure refrigerants CFC11 and HCFC123 and for the medium pressure refrigerants CFC12 and HFC134a. All data were taken at the vapor temperature of 39°C with a wall subcooling of 3–8°C. Test results showed that the HTCs of HFC123, an alternative for CFC11, were 8.2–19.2% lower than those of CFC11 for all the tubes tested. On the other hand, the HTCs of HFC134a, an alternative for CFC12, were 0.0–31.8% higher than those of CFC12 for all the tubes tested. For all refrigerants tested, the Turbo-C tube showed the highest HTCs among the tubes tested showing almost an 8 times increase in HTCs as compared to the plain tube. Nusselt's prediction equation yielded a 12% deviation for the plain tube data while Beatty and Katz's prediction equation yielded a 20.0% deviation for the low fin tube data.     

Condensation heat transfer coefficients of binary HFC mixtures on low fin and Turbo-C tubes

In this study, external condensation heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) are measured for nonazeotropic refrigerant mixtures (NARMs) of HFC32/HFC134a and HFC134a/HCFC123 on a low fin and Turbo-C tubes. All measurements are taken at the vapor temperature of 39 °C with the wall subcooling of 3–8 °C. Test results showed that condensation HTCs of NARMs on enhanced tubes were severely degraded from the ideal values showing up to 96% decrease. HTCs of the mixtures on Turbo-C tube were degraded more than those on low fin tube such that HTCs of the mixtures at the same composition were similar regardless of the tube. The mixture with larger gliding temperature differences (GTDs), HFC134a/HCFC123, showed a larger heat transfer reduction from the ideal values than the mixture with smaller GTDs, HFC32/HFC134a. Heat transfer enhancement ratios of the enhanced tubes with NARMs were almost 2 times lower than those with pure refrigerants and they decreased more as the GTDs of the mixtures increased.