Detailed CFD simulations of pure substance condensation on horizontal annular low finned tubes including a parameter study of the fin slope

Abstract

The use of annular low-finned tubes in tube bundle condensers greatly increases the efficiency. This enables enhanced heat coupling within chemical plants, reducing the overall CO2 emission and power consumption. Due to the complex geometry of these tubes, no generalized condensation model is present so far. In this study, we use highly resolved computational fluid dynamics simulations to investigate pure substance condensation on said tubes with a condensation model which is independent of empirical parameters. Within these simulations, the condensate film is fully resolved and heat transfer coefficients are calculated providing the complete information about the condensation process on annular low-finned tubes for the first time. Additionally, a parameter study for the incline of the annular fin is provided. Therefore, computational fluid dynamics is used to predictively evaluate the influence of a single fin parameter, the incline of the fin, of annular low-finned tubes, for the first time. The simulations provide information about the film thickness along the fin flank and the flooding behavior of the tubes. An accurate fluid dynamic behavior of the two-phase flow is gained. Furthermore, the resulting heat transfer coefficients stand in excellent agreement to experimental data.