Effect of fin geometry on condensation of R134a in a staggered bundle of horizontal finned tubes

摘要

Experimental results are presented that show the effect of fin geometry on condensation of refrigerant R134a in a staggered bundle of horizontal finned tubes. Two kinds of conventional low-fin tubes and three kinds of three-dimensional fin tubes were tested. The refrigerant mass velocity ranged from 8 to 23 kg/m{sup}2s and the condensation temperature difference from 1.5 to 12 K. In most cases, the highest performance was obtained by one of the three-dimensional fin tubes. In the case of high mass velocity and high film Reynolds number, however, the highest performance was obtained by one of the low-fin tubes. The results were compared with previous experimental results for bundles of smooth tubes and low-fin tubes.