Heat transfer and pressure drop analysis of automotive HVAC condensers with two phase flows in minichannels

Abstract The air cooled automotive condensers under study are of brazed aluminium tube and center, consisting of one row array of horizontal parallel multi-port flat tubes with louver fins on air side. Each tube is with a number of smooth parallel minichannels for internal flow of refrigerant. The analysis uses decomposition of the condenser along refrigerant flow path into specific different zones as follows: two single phase zones, namely: superheated and subcooled, and a few zones of two phase flow that can appear along some specific condensation paths to be: annular/intermittent/bubble or annular/annular-wavy/intermittent/bubble or annular/wavy/stratified. The approach presented is based on experimental correlations for heat transfer and pressure drop. The heat transfer prediction is performed using ε – NTUo methodology. The results of the analysis refer to overall heat transfer rate, heat transfer in particular zones, pressure gradients heat transfer coefficients, vapour quality, condensation paths.