CT-37 Horizontal Intube Condensation Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop of Ethane/Propane Mixtures

S. Garimella and M. P. Macdonald (Sustainable Thermal Systems Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology)

2016

Under contract with HTRI, the Sustainable Thermal Systems Laboratory (STSL) at Georgia Institute of Technology studied intube condensation of n-pentane, propane, and ethane/propane mixtures. In this third phase, the STSL acquired condensation heat transfer and pressure drop data using ethane/propane mixtures as working fluids. This report reviews the test facility and presents the mixture data collected using copper tubes with inside diameters of 7.75 and 14.45 mm at saturation temperatures of 25, 30, 35, 45, and 60 °C for nominal mass fluxes of 150, 300, and 450 kg/m² s and temperature glides of 7 to 14 °C. Analysis indicates that existing literature correlations for the frictional pressure gradient and the heat transfer coefficient do not predict the data well.