Modeling and experimental study of air-cooled finned-tube condenser using coupled distribution parameter method and air-side temperature distribution

Abstract

The air-cooled finned tube condenser (ACFTC) plays a crucial role in refrigeration systems, profoundly influencing overall operational efficiency. Its intricate structure, connectivity, and phase change characteristics pose challenges for numerical simulation modeling. While traditional distribution parameter methods effectively capture flow and heat transfer within tube mediums, they overlook ACFTC’s air-side temperature distribution, resulting in discrepancies between simulated and experimental outcomes. This study enhances existing distribution parameter models by incorporating ACFTC’s air-side temperature distribution characteristics, yielding an improved predictive model for transient operational behavior of both Z-shaped and U-shaped configurations. Dynamic experiments and model analyses were performed on the Z-shaped configuration using a cold storage experimental setup. Results demonstrate the improved model’s accurate prediction of tubing medium outlet temperature and pressure, with maximum deviations of approximately 3 °C and 0.01 MPa, respectively. Notably, the improved model exhibits around a 30 % enhancement in predictive accuracy compared to the existing models for both Z-shaped and U-shaped ACFTCs.