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Author
Kedzierski, M. A. | Goncalves, J. M.
Title
Horizontal Convective Condensation of Alternative Refrigerants Within a Micro-Fin Tube.
Coporate
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD Escoal Tecnica Federal de Santa Catarina, San Jose, Brazil
Journal
Enhanced Heat Transfer, Vol. 6, 161-178, 1999
Sponsor
Department of Energy, Washington, DC
Report
NISTIR 6095, December 1997, 75 p.
Distribution
AVAILABLE FROM National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. Telephone: 1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000; Fax: 703-605-6900. Website: http://www.ntis.gov
Contract
DE-AI01-92CE23808
Keywords
heat transfer | enhanced heat transfer | microfin | refrigerants | refrigerant mixtures | fluid heating | condensation | pressure drop
Abstract
This paper presents local convective condensation measurements for four refrigerants: R134a, R410A(R32/R125, 50/50% mass), R125 and R32 in a micro-fin tube. Both heat transfer and pressure drop measurements are provided. The heat transfer degradation associated with R410A was shown to be relatively small and believed to be mostly due to nonlinear property effects. The measured convective condensation Nusselt numbers for all of the test refrigerants were correlated to a single expression consisting of a product of dimensionless properties. The correlation was shown to predict some existing data from the literature within acceptable limits. The correlation poorly predicted the heat transfer performance of cross-grooved, micro-fin tubes. the pressure drop measurements for the micro-fin tube were predicted satisfactorily by an existing correlation for flow boiling pressure drop in a smooth tube. Correlation of the pressure drop measurements suggested that the heat transfer enhancement was due to the fins behaving as a surface roughness.