Flow condensation heat transfer of propane refrigerant inside a horizontal micro-fin tube

Abstract

Due to the phase-out of CFCs and HCFC refrigerants, propane is a nature refrigerant occurring substance produced by natural gas production and oil refining. As a result, propane has a higher latent heat and lower density than conventional refrigerants while maintaining a comparable saturation pressure and thermal conductivity. So, propane refrigerant is already widely used in domestic fridges and freezers for many years. However, propane’s operating pressures and temperatures are well suited for air conditioning equipment, including chillers. This study investigates the contributions of different heat transfer mechanisms in two-phase flow condensation heat transfer coefficients for propane inside a 6.3-mm ID micro-fin copper tube. Data were collected through an experiment with a two-phase flow condensation. Measurements were taken at different refrigerant mass fluxes from 100 to 300 kg/m2s and heat fluxes from 3 to 9 kW/m2. In addition, the experiments investigated effect of vapor quality, mass flux, and heat flux on the heat transfer coefficients. Finally, a new heat transfer coefficient correlation was developed based on the experimental data with good agreement.