CT-2 Flow Regimes in Horizontal Tubeside Condensation
In order to select the appropriate correlations for prediction of horizontal tubeside condensation heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops, it was necessary to develop a predictive method for flow patterns at various points along the tube.
HTRI visual observations of flow regimes in condensation did not agree with the popularly used Baker Flow Regime Map. A thorough literature study revealed that this was also true of open literature data, and it was necessary to develop an improved map. The theoretically obtained flow regime map parameters are show to be the ratio of gravity to shear forces on the condensate film and liquid volume fraction. The main part of this report presents a new recommended flow regime map for horizontal intube condensation based on theoretical parameters, HTRI glass tube, and literature data. Also open literature predictive methods are discussed and compared with flow regime observations.