This paper presents a study of pressure drops during condensation inside a smooth, an 18-deg helical microfin, and a herringbone microfin tube. Measurements were conducted with refrigerant flowing through the tube of a concentric heat exchanger, with water flowing in a counterflow direction in the annulus. Each tube was part of a condenser consisting of eight subcondensers with instrumentation preceding each subcondenser. Three refrigerants were used, namely, R-22, R-407C, and R-134a, all operating at a saturation temperature of with mass fluxes ranging from 400 to Inlet qualities ranged from 0.85 to 0.95 and outlet qualities ranged from 0.05 to 0.15. The test results showed that on average for the three refrigerants the pressure gradients of the herringbone microfin tube were about 79% higher than that of the smooth tube and about 27% higher than that of the helical microfin tube. Further, a correlation from the literature for predicting pressure drops inside a helical microfin tube was modified for the herringbone microfin tube. The modified correlation predicted the data to within an error of 1% and had an absolute mean deviation of 6.8%. This modified correlation compared well with a correlation from the literature that predicted the data to within an error of 7%.
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Pressure Drop During Refrigerant Condensation Inside Horizontal Smooth, Helical Microfin, and Herringbone Microfin Tubes
Jonathan A. Olivier,
e-mail: jonathan.olivier@up.ac.za
Jonathan A. Olivier
Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
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Leon Liebenberg,
e-mail: lieb@up.ac.za
Leon Liebenberg
Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
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Josua P. Meyer
e-mail: jmeyer@up.ac.za
Josua P. Meyer
Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
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Jonathan A. Olivier
Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
e-mail: jonathan.olivier@up.ac.za
Leon Liebenberg
Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
e-mail: lieb@up.ac.za
Mark A. Kedzierski
Josua P. Meyer
Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
e-mail: jmeyer@up.ac.za
Contributed by the Heat Transfer Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF HEAT TRANSFER. Manuscript received by the Heat Transfer Division November 19, 2003; revision received June 15, 2004. Associate Editor: M. Jensen.
J. Heat Transfer. Oct 2004, 126(5): 687-696 (10 pages)
Published Online: November 16, 2004
Article history
Received:
November 19, 2003
Revised:
June 15, 2004
Online:
November 16, 2004
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Citation
Olivier, J. A., Liebenberg, L., Kedzierski, M. A., and Meyer, J. P. (November 16, 2004). "Pressure Drop During Refrigerant Condensation Inside Horizontal Smooth, Helical Microfin, and Herringbone Microfin Tubes ." ASME. J. Heat Transfer. October 2004; 126(5): 687–696. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1795240
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