HEAT TRANSFER AND PRESSURE DROP MEASUREMENTS FOR IN-TUBE CONDENSATION OF CFC-113 USING MICROFIN TUBES AND WIRE INSERTS

Accurate, repeatable heat transfer and pressure-drop measurements have been made for condensation of CFC-113 with downflow inside enhanced microfin tubes and tubes containing twisted-wire inserts. In the latter case measurements have also been made for CFC-113/air mixtures. The heat transfer rate was calculated from the coolant flow rate and temperature rise, the latter measured using a 10-junction thermopile with careful attention paid to adequate coolant mixing and isothermal immersion of the thermopile leads. The surface temperature was found from thermocouples embedded in the tube wall. One plain tube, nine microfin tubes (with different fin heights, helix angles, and number of fins), and four twisted-wire inserts (with different wire densities) were tested. Enhancement ratios (i.e., vapor-side heat transfer coefficient for the enhanced tube divided by that for a smooth tube at the same vapor-side temperature difference and vapor inlet velocity) between 1.6 and 5.6 for the microfin tubes and between 1.2 and 1.6 for the twisted-wire inserts were found, with values depending on vapor-side temperature difference, vapor inlet velocity, and air inlet mole fraction in the case of CFC-113/air mixtures. The microfin tubes showed moderate pressure-drop penalties of around 50% compared to the plain tube, while the twisted-wire inserts showed increasing pressure-drop penalty with increasing wire density.