Condensation Heat Transfer Efficiency Analysis of Horizontal Double-Sided Enhanced Tubes

The enhanced tubes in this study, referred to as E1 and E2, represent significant improvements in the design and performance of smooth tubes. By increasing the surface area on their fin side and optimizing the condensation drainage design, the heat transfer capacity of the finned tubes has been furt...

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Main Authors: Jianghui Zhang, Junjie Wu, He Zhou, Jiaxiang Yu, Bin Zhang, Wei Li, Yan He
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/9/2390
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author Jianghui Zhang
Junjie Wu
He Zhou
Jiaxiang Yu
Bin Zhang
Wei Li
Yan He
author_facet Jianghui Zhang
Junjie Wu
He Zhou
Jiaxiang Yu
Bin Zhang
Wei Li
Yan He
author_sort Jianghui Zhang
collection DOAJ
description The enhanced tubes in this study, referred to as E1 and E2, represent significant improvements in the design and performance of smooth tubes. By increasing the surface area on their fin side and optimizing the condensation drainage design, the heat transfer capacity of the finned tubes has been further enhanced. These modifications will provide superior thermal management performance for condenser tubes in practical applications, facilitating their widespread use across various engineering fields. In this experiment, R134a was used as the working fluid, with a test section length (L) of 248 mm for the experimental tubes E1 and E2. The experiments were conducted at a saturation temperature of 40 °C, where the refrigerant condensed outside the tube while deionized water circulated inside. The results indicated that, at a heat flux density below 94 kW/m<sup>2</sup>, the condensation heat transfer coefficient of the E1 tube was 2–5% higher than that of the E2 tube, achieving values that were 11.63–14.42 times and 10.94–14.67 times that of smooth tubes of identical dimensions and materials, respectively. At a heat flux density of 94 kW/m<sup>2</sup>, the heat transfer coefficient of E2 exceeded that of E1, with E1 exhibiting a more pronounced decline. Under constant water velocity, the heat transfer coefficient outside the tube initially decreased and then increased as the heat flux density rose. The corresponding effective heat transfer area of E1 increased, leading to better overall heat transfer performance compared to E2.
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spelling doaj-art-4f6f57a30cf347c5b90d0625c52d551b2025-08-20T01:50:45ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-05-01189239010.3390/en18092390Condensation Heat Transfer Efficiency Analysis of Horizontal Double-Sided Enhanced TubesJianghui Zhang0Junjie Wu1He Zhou2Jiaxiang Yu3Bin Zhang4Wei Li5Yan He6Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, ChinaDepartment of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, ChinaDepartment of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, ChinaDepartment of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, ChinaDepartment of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, ChinaDepartment of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, ChinaDepartment of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, ChinaThe enhanced tubes in this study, referred to as E1 and E2, represent significant improvements in the design and performance of smooth tubes. By increasing the surface area on their fin side and optimizing the condensation drainage design, the heat transfer capacity of the finned tubes has been further enhanced. These modifications will provide superior thermal management performance for condenser tubes in practical applications, facilitating their widespread use across various engineering fields. In this experiment, R134a was used as the working fluid, with a test section length (L) of 248 mm for the experimental tubes E1 and E2. The experiments were conducted at a saturation temperature of 40 °C, where the refrigerant condensed outside the tube while deionized water circulated inside. The results indicated that, at a heat flux density below 94 kW/m<sup>2</sup>, the condensation heat transfer coefficient of the E1 tube was 2–5% higher than that of the E2 tube, achieving values that were 11.63–14.42 times and 10.94–14.67 times that of smooth tubes of identical dimensions and materials, respectively. At a heat flux density of 94 kW/m<sup>2</sup>, the heat transfer coefficient of E2 exceeded that of E1, with E1 exhibiting a more pronounced decline. Under constant water velocity, the heat transfer coefficient outside the tube initially decreased and then increased as the heat flux density rose. The corresponding effective heat transfer area of E1 increased, leading to better overall heat transfer performance compared to E2.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/9/2390condensation heat transferR134adouble-sided enhanced structurefinned tube
spellingShingle Jianghui Zhang
Junjie Wu
He Zhou
Jiaxiang Yu
Bin Zhang
Wei Li
Yan He
Condensation Heat Transfer Efficiency Analysis of Horizontal Double-Sided Enhanced Tubes
Energies
condensation heat transfer
R134a
double-sided enhanced structure
finned tube
title Condensation Heat Transfer Efficiency Analysis of Horizontal Double-Sided Enhanced Tubes
title_full Condensation Heat Transfer Efficiency Analysis of Horizontal Double-Sided Enhanced Tubes
title_fullStr Condensation Heat Transfer Efficiency Analysis of Horizontal Double-Sided Enhanced Tubes
title_full_unstemmed Condensation Heat Transfer Efficiency Analysis of Horizontal Double-Sided Enhanced Tubes
title_short Condensation Heat Transfer Efficiency Analysis of Horizontal Double-Sided Enhanced Tubes
title_sort condensation heat transfer efficiency analysis of horizontal double sided enhanced tubes
topic condensation heat transfer
R134a
double-sided enhanced structure
finned tube
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/9/2390
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