Turbulent film condensation on a horizontal elliptical tube

Abstract

An investigation has been made of turbulent film condensation on a horizontal elliptical tube. The present study is based on Colburn analogy [1] and potential flow theory to determine the high tangential velocity of vapor flow at the boundary layer and to define the local interfacial shear owing to high velocity vapor flow across the tube surface. The condensate film flow and local/or mean heat transfer characteristics from a horizontal elliptical tube with variable ellipticities, e, under the influence of Froude number, sub-cooling parameter and system pressure have been performed. The present result for dimensionless mean heat transfer coefficient reduces to the same result obtained by Sarma et al.’s [2] e=0 (circular tube). Compared with laminar model by Yang and Hsu [3], the present turbulent model shows in better agreement with Michael’s experimental data [4] (for e=0). The dependence of mean Nusselt coefficient on the effect of n (power of Reynolds) [1] is also discussed.