Q1-10 Summary of HTRI Vertical Intube Downflow Condensation Data
HTRI’s tubeside condensation project began in the 1970s. Initial studies concentrated on condensation in horizontal and inclined tubes. More than 300 data runs were conducted on the HTRI Intube Condensation Unit from 1970 to 1974; two tube geometries and a large number of test fluids were used, including pure components and mixtures. Based on these data, HTRI developed a condensation flow regime map and heat transfer and pressure drop correlations for horizontal and inclined tube condensers.
To further understand the phenomena of heat and mass transfer in a liquid film at a wall and to permit development of more reliable calculation methods for vertical condensers, HTRI designed and constructed the Vertical Intube Condensation Unit (VICU) in 1986. This unit obtained research-grade local data and simulated a single tube of a multitube industrial-scale condenser. The shakedown test and preliminary data collection were carried out from 1987 to 1989 in Alhambra, California.
The VICU was disassembled in Alhambra and moved to College Station, Texas, in 1991. Since 1992, HTRI has conducted more than 1500 data runs with the VICU. These runs used pure components and mixtures with and without noncondensables gas over a wide range of test conditions. With these data, HTRI has evaluated and improved correlations of heat and mass transfer and pressure drop for vertical tubeside condensation. This article describes the VICU and summarizes HTRI’s vertical intube downflow condensation data.