CT-23 Condensation Pressure Drop in Micro-finned Tubes: Review of Literature Methods

V. Sathyamurthi

2010

Before embarking on additional experimental research, HTRI reviewed open literature methods for predicting convective condensation pressure drop in horizontal micro-finned tubes. Although some methods are applicable to herringbone micro-finned tubes with modifications, this study is confined to pressure drop methods for helical micro-finned tubes. The pressure drop correlations are evaluated against open literature microfin condensation data for refrigerants and refrigerant-lubricant mixtures from various sources. Enhanced Heat Transfer (EHT) software methods are compared to open literature models for pressure drop. In addition, the EHT pressure drop method is extended to mixtures of refrigerant and oil.