Modeling the Condensation Heat Transfer on Horizontal Low-Finned Tubes

Abstract

Most studies regarding heat transfer on low-finned tubes address the condensation of refrigerants and water on copper tubes. Existing models are mainly validated for this use case since studies regarding different substances or tube materials are scarce in the literature. This paper presents measurement data on the condensation of n-propanol, isopropanol, isobutanol, and acetone on low-finned stainless-steel tubes. Together with experimental data from the literature, the measurements are used to test the performance of models from the literature. As the investigated models fail to describe all measurement data, a new model based on a set of dimensionless numbers is derived and fitted to the experimental data.