Comparison of theoretical methods for describing the heat transfer in vertical tube condensers under conditions corresponding to the condensation of flue gas from a biomass boiler

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Abstract A theoretical and experimental study was conducted on water vapor condensation in a vertical tube condenser under conditions corresponding to the condensation of flue gas from biomass boiler where flue gas is considered as a mixture of water vapor and a high content of noncondensable gas (NCG). Four fundamental theoretical methods were identified to determine the heat transfer coefficient and condenser heat output - Empirical correlations, Heat and mass transfer analogy, Diffusion layer theory, Boundary layer theory. These methods were compared with respect to usability in the design of flue gas condensers in energy systems and experimentally verified. Experiments were carried out in a 1.5 m long vertical double-pipe condenser with a condensing gas flowing downward in an inner tube with a diameter of 25 mm. The mass concentration of NCG in a mixture with water vapor ranged from 11 to 86 vol.% and the inlet Reynolds number of the condensing gas ranged from 1936 to 14408, which corresponds with the conditions of condensing flue gas from biomass boilers. The boundary layer theory is very complex and impractical for the calculation of heat exchangers. Empirical correlations have a wide dispersion of the result, because they take into account only the basic parameters of the process. However, Heat and mass transfer analogy and Diffusion layer theory seem to be the most suitable for flue gas condensers since they capture the physical essence of the phenomena.