Analysis of Passive Tube Condensation With Non-Condensable Gas Using Heat and Mass Analogy Model

Abstract

In this study, we used the heat and mass analogy model to be able to predict the heat transfer properties of a condenser tube operating in passive mode. The most important advantage of analogy model comparing boundary layer model is simplicity and fast computation, that’s why it can be applied to various engineering problems for many cases. The heat and mass analogy model is based on the heat transfer balance between liquid film and gas mixture area. The main problem for the liquid film region is the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) which is affected negatively in the presence of non-condensable gas. Therefore, our main goal is to increase the HTC and condensation heat transfer rate by updating the analogy code. In the gas-vapor mixture region, heat transfer mainly occurred as latent condensation and sensible heat transfer. In order to maintain this balance between the mixture and liquid film, the interface temperature is iterated. After defining a specified tolerance value of the heat and mass analogy model codes, this iteration process was started to be used at the entrance of a condenser tube. The gas and vapor mixture is considered to be saturated at the liquid/gas interface in the heat and mass transfer analogy model. Via boundary layer study of species concentration and energy balance, the non-condensable gas effect on condensation is added into the equation. For the condensation heat transfer coefficient of turbulent vapor flow associated with laminar condensate, numerical predictions were made and they were satisfactory. The predictions were compared with the experimental data from the literature to be able to test the model. Non-condensable gas mass fraction and vapor-non-condensable mixture temperature were presented in the form of radial and axial profiles.