In tube condensation of low global warming potential refrigerants in an axial micro-fin aluminum tube

Yifeng Hu; Saad Ayub Jajja; Cheng Min Yang; Samuel Fortunato Yana Motta; Brian Albert Fricke; Kashif Nawaz

doi:10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2024.03.001

In tube condensation of low global warming potential refrigerants in an axial micro-fin aluminum tube

Yifeng Hu, Saad Ayub Jajja, Cheng Min Yang, Samuel Fortunato Yana Motta, Brian Albert Fricke, Kashif Nawaz

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Environmental regulations have driven the development of refrigerants with low global warming potential (GWP). To design heat exchangers using these new refrigerants, data are needed concerning the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop in two-phase flow. Another change is the increasing use of aluminum tubes rather than copper tubes to reduce heat exchanger cost. Hence, this study presents an experimental investigation of flow condensation using an expanded axial micro-fin aluminum tube with a fin-tip diameter of 5.96 mm. The experiments included single compounds R-32, R-1234yf, and R-1234ze(E), zeotropic mixtures with low glide (R-454B), and zeotropic mixtures with high-glide (R-454C and R-455A). Experiments were conducted at condensation temperatures ranging from 40 °C to 50 °C, reduced pressures ranging from 0.21 to 0.55, and mass fluxes ranging from 150 to 350 kg/(m² s). Data obtained for these refrigerants constitute one of the first reports for high-glide refrigerants using axial micro-fin aluminum tubes. An evaluation of heat transfer degradation of zeotropic mixtures due to mass transfer resistance at the liquid/vapor interface is presented. This information can be used to design heat exchangers for next generation air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	221-241
Number of pages	21
Journal	International Journal of Refrigeration
Volume	161
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2024.03.001
State	Published - May 2024

Funding

Funding was provided by the US Department of Energy's Building Technologies Office. Honeywell and Chemours provided refrigerant research samples. Eliott Fountain helped with the rendering of the condensation test section. Brian Goins, Jeff Taylor, Brent Massey, Mike Day, Charles Pierce, and Tim Dyer provided support for the experimental infrastructure. We also thank Dr. Mark A. Kedzierski from NIST for providing valuable comments to improve our study. This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan ).

Keywords

Expanded axial micro-fin aluminum tube
Flow condensation
Frictional pressure gradient
Heat transfer coefficient
Low global warming potential refrigerants

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10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2024.03.001

Cite this

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title = "In tube condensation of low global warming potential refrigerants in an axial micro-fin aluminum tube",

abstract = "Environmental regulations have driven the development of refrigerants with low global warming potential (GWP). To design heat exchangers using these new refrigerants, data are needed concerning the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop in two-phase flow. Another change is the increasing use of aluminum tubes rather than copper tubes to reduce heat exchanger cost. Hence, this study presents an experimental investigation of flow condensation using an expanded axial micro-fin aluminum tube with a fin-tip diameter of 5.96 mm. The experiments included single compounds R-32, R-1234yf, and R-1234ze(E), zeotropic mixtures with low glide (R-454B), and zeotropic mixtures with high-glide (R-454C and R-455A). Experiments were conducted at condensation temperatures ranging from 40 °C to 50 °C, reduced pressures ranging from 0.21 to 0.55, and mass fluxes ranging from 150 to 350 kg/(m2 s). Data obtained for these refrigerants constitute one of the first reports for high-glide refrigerants using axial micro-fin aluminum tubes. An evaluation of heat transfer degradation of zeotropic mixtures due to mass transfer resistance at the liquid/vapor interface is presented. This information can be used to design heat exchangers for next generation air conditioning and refrigeration systems.",

keywords = "Expanded axial micro-fin aluminum tube, Flow condensation, Frictional pressure gradient, Heat transfer coefficient, Low global warming potential refrigerants",

author = "Yifeng Hu and Jajja, \{Saad Ayub\} and Yang, \{Cheng Min\} and \{Yana Motta\}, \{Samuel Fortunato\} and Fricke, \{Brian Albert\} and Kashif Nawaz",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 Elsevier Ltd and IIR",

year = "2024",

month = may,

doi = "10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2024.03.001",

language = "English",

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T1 - In tube condensation of low global warming potential refrigerants in an axial micro-fin aluminum tube

AU - Hu, Yifeng

AU - Jajja, Saad Ayub

AU - Yang, Cheng Min

AU - Yana Motta, Samuel Fortunato

AU - Fricke, Brian Albert

AU - Nawaz, Kashif

PY - 2024/5

Y1 - 2024/5

N2 - Environmental regulations have driven the development of refrigerants with low global warming potential (GWP). To design heat exchangers using these new refrigerants, data are needed concerning the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop in two-phase flow. Another change is the increasing use of aluminum tubes rather than copper tubes to reduce heat exchanger cost. Hence, this study presents an experimental investigation of flow condensation using an expanded axial micro-fin aluminum tube with a fin-tip diameter of 5.96 mm. The experiments included single compounds R-32, R-1234yf, and R-1234ze(E), zeotropic mixtures with low glide (R-454B), and zeotropic mixtures with high-glide (R-454C and R-455A). Experiments were conducted at condensation temperatures ranging from 40 °C to 50 °C, reduced pressures ranging from 0.21 to 0.55, and mass fluxes ranging from 150 to 350 kg/(m2 s). Data obtained for these refrigerants constitute one of the first reports for high-glide refrigerants using axial micro-fin aluminum tubes. An evaluation of heat transfer degradation of zeotropic mixtures due to mass transfer resistance at the liquid/vapor interface is presented. This information can be used to design heat exchangers for next generation air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

AB - Environmental regulations have driven the development of refrigerants with low global warming potential (GWP). To design heat exchangers using these new refrigerants, data are needed concerning the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop in two-phase flow. Another change is the increasing use of aluminum tubes rather than copper tubes to reduce heat exchanger cost. Hence, this study presents an experimental investigation of flow condensation using an expanded axial micro-fin aluminum tube with a fin-tip diameter of 5.96 mm. The experiments included single compounds R-32, R-1234yf, and R-1234ze(E), zeotropic mixtures with low glide (R-454B), and zeotropic mixtures with high-glide (R-454C and R-455A). Experiments were conducted at condensation temperatures ranging from 40 °C to 50 °C, reduced pressures ranging from 0.21 to 0.55, and mass fluxes ranging from 150 to 350 kg/(m2 s). Data obtained for these refrigerants constitute one of the first reports for high-glide refrigerants using axial micro-fin aluminum tubes. An evaluation of heat transfer degradation of zeotropic mixtures due to mass transfer resistance at the liquid/vapor interface is presented. This information can be used to design heat exchangers for next generation air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

KW - Expanded axial micro-fin aluminum tube

KW - Flow condensation

KW - Frictional pressure gradient

KW - Heat transfer coefficient

KW - Low global warming potential refrigerants

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85188449718

U2 - 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2024.03.001

DO - 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2024.03.001

M3 - Article

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SN - 0140-7007

VL - 161

SP - 221

EP - 241

JO - International Journal of Refrigeration

JF - International Journal of Refrigeration

ER -

In tube condensation of low global warming potential refrigerants in an axial micro-fin aluminum tube

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