Heat Transfer Coefficient Of Flow Research Articles

Experimental and numerical studies on enhanced flow boiling in tube with superwetting micro-finned surfaces

Due to the high latent heat from evaporation, flow boiling has been applied in a variety of industrial applications. However, the occurrence of “annular bubble” will dramatically increase the thermal resistance near the wall, causing decreases both in heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and critical heat flux (CHF). To tackle this issue, we propose the micro-finned surfaces with strong capillary force to enhance the heat transfer coefficient and critical heat flux for flow boiling. With deionized water as the coolant, we investigate the effects of fin width, fin height, fin pitch, coolant flow rate and heat flux on flow boiling through experiment and numerical simulation. The results show that the wider the fin width, the lower the fin height, and the smaller the fin pitch, the higher the convective heat transfer coefficient. In addition, the higher the coolant flow rate leads to higher heat transfer coefficient and lower flow boiling instability. When the heat flux increases, the convective heat transfer coefficient and flow instability increase. Among them, the microchannel with fin width of 20 μm, fin height 40 μm, and fin pitch 40 μm obtains the maximum convective heat transfer coefficient, 59.3 % higher than that of the smooth microchannel.

Coupled heat transfer and chemical kinetics in a calcium oxide/hydroxide fixed bed thermochemical energy storage reactor

Among energy storage technologies, thermochemical heat storage despite its unique advantages, remains at a nascent state due to varied technical challenges. One of the key unknowns in the otherwise well-studied calcium oxide/hydroxide chemistry, is a lack of understanding of the possible output power profiles. Here, we investigate the theoretical power output from a fixed-bed, modular, honeycomb-geometry thermochemical energy storage (TCS) reactor based on a calcium oxide/hydroxide, using finite element modeling of heat transfer coupled with reaction kinetics. We calculate the extent of reaction and temperature profiles in a lattice of honeycomb cells that make up the bed, while varying heat transfer related parameters. We find that the size of the unit cell can limit energy discharge, for example, increasing the time to completion for the reaction to ∼7 hours as the cell size increases to 6 cm, even though the reaction kinetics is fast at ∼2 mins. The time constant of the transient power profile increases by a factor of ∼4 as the cell size increases by a factor of ∼3, when considering cells in the nominal size range 2–6 cm. Besides cell size, we investigate how the power profile is affected by the following parameters: the thermal conductivity of the bed, the initial temperature, the material of the cell wall and the heat transfer coefficient of external flows. In particular, we identify the combination of parameters that can vary the power profile on demand to operate the same reactor as either a thermal capacitor or alternately, a thermal battery. This work informs future design possibilities with oxide-hydroxide, solid–gas reaction TCS and provides insight into critical heat transfer parameters.

Experimental Investigation and Calculation of Convective Heat Transfer in Two-Component Gas–Liquid Flow Through Channels Packed with Metal Foams

This paper presents a study on heat transfer in two-phase mixtures (air–water and air–oil) flowing through heated horizontal channels filled with open-cell aluminum foams characterized by porosities of 92.9–94.3% and pore densities of 20, 30, and 40 PPI. The research included mass flux densities ranging from 2.82 to 284.7 kg/(m2·s) and heat flux densities from 5.3 to 35.7 kW/m2. The analysis examined the effects of flow conditions, fluid properties, and foam geometry on the intensity of heat transfer from the heated walls of the channel to the fluid. Results indicate that the heat transfer coefficient in two-component non-boiling flow exceeds that of single-phase flow, primarily due to fluid properties and velocities, with minimal impact from flow structures or foam geometry. An assessment of existing methods for predicting heat transfer coefficients in gas–liquid and boiling flows revealed significant discrepancies—up to several hundred percent—between measured and predicted values. To address these issues, a novel computational method was developed to accurately predict heat transfer coefficients for two-component non-boiling flow through metal foams.

Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles and Forced Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient Measurement of Silver-Water Nanofluids at Laminar Flow

Heat management in industries and other areas is a major issue currently worldwide. Conventional heat transfer fluids like water and ethylene glycol are not very effective. Nanofluids (NFs), composed of nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed throughout a base fluid (BF), have recently been identified as promising heat management agents for various industrial and other applications. Heat transmission is one of the many uses for AgNPs–water NFs (silver NPs (AgNPs) dispersed in water). The goal of this work was to determine the AgNPs–water NFs' forced convective heat transfer coefficient (HTC) in laminar flow. Due to this, we present the results of the HTC study of AgNPs–water NFs in laminar flow in this paper. First, using AgNO3 as a precursor, a chemical reduction approach was used for facile synthesis of AgNPs in one pot at ambient temperature. Synthesized NPs were examined using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transform electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The average particle size obtained from TEM is 25 nm. The required quantity of AgNPs was added to the water to produce 0.5 and 1.0 vol% of AgNPs–water NFs. Next, zeta potential and dynamic light scattering (DLS), in addition to time-lapse observation and captured picture comparison, were used to assess the stability of the formulated NFs. To calculate the forced convective HTC of prepared NFs in laminar flow, a vertical shell and tube heat transfer apparatus and computer-based data recorder were used. According to the results, in comparison to BF, the HTC of 0.5 and 1.0 vol% NFs was 3.3 and 5 times greater, respectively which encourages the use of AgNPs–water NFs in industry and other heat management. Jagannath University Journal of Science, Volume 11, Number 1, June 2024, pp. 13−22

Experimental investigation of heat transfer coefficient and frictional pressure drop in flow boiling of R513A: Comparative analysis of micro-fin and smooth tubes

The heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and frictional pressure drop (FPD) of R513A in flow boiling conditions experimentally investigated in the present article. The study employed micro-fin tubes (MFT1 and MFT2) and smooth tubes (ST1 and ST2) as testing tubes under various operational parameters. The test sections featured standardized tube lengths (1000 mm) and outer diameter (9.52 mm) across all tubes, with variations in mass flux (50–300 kg·m−2·s−1), vapor quality (0.02–0.96), saturation temperature (12°C, 17°C, and 22 °C) and heat flux (6, 18, and 30 kW·m−2). Research focused on evaluating influence of micro-fin enhancement on flow boiling characteristics, specifically comparing HTC and FPD between micro-fin and smooth tubes. Results indicate significant improvement on HTC within micro-fin tubes compared to smooth tubes, accompanied by reasonable increase in FPD. Additionally, the study validated experimental data against established correlations and conducted sensitivity analysis to understand influence of key parameters on HTC and FPD. Overall, findings contribute valuable insights for optimizing heat exchanger design and thermal system efficiency in flow boiling applications.

The influence of longitudinal duct profiling on unsteady gas dynamics and the heat transfer of pulsating gas flows in the outlet system of reciprocating-engine

Heat machines based on reciprocating-engines remain in demand in various fields of engineering and technology. Therefore, further research is needed to improve the efficiency, reliability, and environmental friendliness of engines. The thermomechanical improvement of non-stationary processes in outlet systems is an appropriate way to improve engine performance. The purpose of this research is to obtain and analyse the gas-dynamic and heat transfer characteristics of pulsating gas flows in an outlet system with ducts of various designs, using a laboratory model to simulate the outlet process in an engine. Thermal anemometry is used to receive data on the instant velocity values and local heat transfer coefficient of unsteady flows in ducts. The article examines two designs of outlet ducts, namely cylindrical (basic) and conical (with a taper of 0.0225) ducts. Spectral analysis of velocity, pressure and heat transfer coefficient pulsations, assessment of turbulence intensity, and calculation of flow characteristics of pulsating flows were performed to obtain detailed information on gas dynamics in the outlet system. The use of a conical duct (in comparison with a cylindrical one) leads to a slight increase in the turbulence intensity by up to 12 %, a decrease in the heat transfer coefficient by 15–20 %, and a change in volumetric gas flow within ± 7.5 %. Thus, the use of a conical duct will lead to the stabilisation of the flow in the outlet system, improved cleaning of the cylinder from outlet gases, a reduction in thermal stress, and a slight growth in the specific power of engines.

Non-invasive mass flow and local heat transfer coefficient measurements in pulsating heat pipes

A single loop Pulsating Heating Pipe (PHP) experimental setup was developed for non-invasive measurement of the local heat transfer coefficient and the mass flow along the PHP evaporator. These measurements are valuable to validate modeling tools used in the design of PHP. A two-step differential heat input method was used for measurement of mass flow and the results were compared with the optical and theoretical results. The conditions tested in the PHP were 50, 60 and 70% filling ratio, R134a as working fluid, internal diameter of 2 mm, saturation temperature of between 30 to 40 °C, inclination angles from 30 to 90° (vertical bottom heat mode) and heat loads on the evaporator from 10 up to 68 W. The results indicate a high performance in heat transfer of the PHP, with minimum internal thermal resistance values close to 0.008 K/W as well as local heat transfer coefficients greater than 10 kW/m2K for observed values of mass velocities between 60 and 140 kg/m2s. The results were compared with correlations from the literature and these were able to predict the results with a 20% average error margin, suggesting many similarities with convective boiling mechanisms.

The effect of inclination on flow and heat transfer in a 3×3 rod bundle channel in a natural circulation system

Unlike ordinary nuclear power reactors, the floating nuclear power plants are constantly affected by sea waves and are often under inclined condition. The flow and heat transfer characteristics in the rod bundle channel for inclined condition is crucial for the design and operation of floating nuclear power plants. This paper experimentally investigates the flow resistance and heat transfer in an inclined 3 × 3 rod bundle channel at 10∼15 MPa in a natural circulation system and the inclination angle is 10°–30°. The mass flux becomes smaller as the experimental loop is inclined due to the decrease of the natural circulation driving force. As the system inclination angle becomes larger, the mass flux decreases more. Re and the outlet mass quality also affect the mass flux decreasing amplitude for inclined condition. For single phase flow, the friction coefficient correlation in a rod bundle channel is developed and the MAE (mean absolute error) is 2.82 %. The friction coefficients when the channel is inclined are larger than the friction coefficients when the channel is vertical. Correlations for Nu in the static vertical rod bundle channel are also developed and the MAE is less than 2 %. The heat transfer coefficient is enhanced for inclined condition if the effect of mass flux change is eliminated. For flow boiling, inclination has little effect on the number and size of the bubbles for highly subcooled boiling, while inclination has large influence on the flow pattern for saturated boiling. When the inclination angle becomes larger, the two phase multiplier increases. As the outlet mass quality increases, the increasing amplitude of two phase multiplier will become even larger when the inclination angle is larger. The heat transfer coefficient of flow boiling increases when the channel is inclined, and the enhancement is larger when the mass flux is smaller. When the inclination angle is 30°, the boiling heat transfer coefficient could increase by 25.7 % at a low mass flux. The paper reveals the quantitive influence of inclination on both single phase flow and flow boiling in the rod bundle channel. The working pressure and temperature have reached the operating conditions of the floating nuclear power plants, and the results can be applied to the design of nuclear power floating plants and pressurized water reactor using rod bundle fuel assembly.

Nonlinear convective transport of nanofluid over an inclined plate situated in a Darcy–Forchheimer porous medium with viscous dissipation and varying thermo-physical features

This article presents a theoretical analysis of the effects of varying thermo-physical properties, chemical reactions, and activation energy on the quadratic convective transport of nanofluids. The flow is created through an inclined plate in a Darcy–Forchheimer porous medium. The nanofluid model includes thermophoresis and Brownian motion to account for nanoparticle movement. The original flow equations are transformed using similarity transformations, and the resulting dimensionless equations are solved with a multi-domain spectral collocation approach. The effects of physical parameters on flow variables, heat and mass transfer coefficients are discussed. Comparisons between vertical and inclined plates reveal that inclination improves thermal performance but decreases velocity and engineering-related quantities. Fluctuating viscosity and nonlinear convection speed up fluid flow, whereas temperature rises with variable thermal conductivity and Biot number. Variable fluid properties, nonlinear convection, and convective heat conditions enhance heat transport coefficients. Activation energy boosts nanoparticle volume fraction profiles but decreases mass transport rates.

A new approach for heat transfer coefficient determination in triply periodic minimal surface-based heat exchangers

The development of additive manufacturing offers increasing opportunities in heat transfer. A wider range of materials is used in the 3D printing process of heat exchangers based on the Triply Periodic Minimal Surface. Due to the complexity of these structures, it is difficult to precisely determine the values describing the heat transfer process in these devices. One of the parameters describing the heat transfer process in heat exchangers is the heat transfer coefficient. This study describes a new method for determining the heat transfer coefficient in a heat exchanger based on a gyroidal lattice. The proposed new method allows for determining the heat transfer coefficient values without interfering with the internal space of the compact heat exchanger. The developed formula can be used in the indirect method of determining the value of the heat transfer coefficient in two-phase flow with boiling or condensation of the working medium. The thermal tests were carried out in the range of working flow rates 4–24 kg/h; the media temperature was 20 and 50 °C, the heat flux was from 0.1 to 0.4 kW. Tests were conducted for laminar flow in the 20 < Re < 200 range.

Performance optimization for an optimal operating condition for a shell and heat exchanger using a multi-objective genetic algorithm approach.

In this study, shell and heat exchangers are optimized using an integrated optimization framework. In this research, A structured Design of Experiments (DOE) comprising 16 trials was first conducted to systematically determine the essential parameters, including mass flow rates (mh, mc), temperatures (T1, t1, T2, t2), and heat transfer coefficients (€, TR, U). By identifying the first four principal components, PCA was able to determine 87.7% of the variance, thereby reducing the dimensionality of the problem. Performance-related aspects of the system are the focus of this approach. Key outcomes (€, TR, U) were predicted by 99% R-squared using the RSM models. Multiple factors, such as the mass flow rate and inlet temperature, were considered during the design process. The maximizing efficiency, thermal resistance, and utility were achieved by considering these factors. By using genetic algorithms, Pareto front solutions that meet the requirements of decision-makers can be found. The combination of the shell and tube heat exchangers produced better results than expected. Engineering and designers can gain practical insight into the mass flow rate, temperature, and key responses (€, TR, U) if they quantify improvements in these factors. Despite the importance of this study, it has several potential limitations, including specific experimental conditions and the need to validate it in other situations as well. Future research could investigate other factors that influence system performance. A holistic optimization framework can improve the design and engineering of heat exchangers in the future. As a result of the study, a foundation for innovative advancements in the field has been laid with tangible improvements. The study exceeded expectations by optimizing shell and heat exchanger systems using an integrated approach, thereby contributing significantly to the advancement of the field.

DISEASED BILE FLOW UNDER THE EFFECTS OF HEAT TRANSFER AND CHEMICAL REACTIONS

The movement of bile inside ducts in a diseased state is investigated using a mathematical model that takes into account heat transport and chemical interactions. Bile is considered as a viscous fluid, geometry of ducts is assumed as finite length asymmetric channel and the flow is induced by peristaltic wave along the length of channel walls. Under the presumption of a long wave length and a low Reynolds number, the formulas for axial velocity, pressure gradient, volume flow rate, stream function, pressure increase, shear stress, and heat transfer coefficient are produced. In the end, a plot and discussion are made of how different emergent factors affect the relevant physical quantities.

Rarefied Flow Simulations of Heat Transfer Across Evacuated Cryogenic Tank Insulation Structures

The Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Method computations are performed to investigate the heat transfer across highly evacuated cryogenic tank insulation structures. These structures usually consist of one cold and one hot wall with a temperature difference up to 260 K surrounding a rarefied gas which originates from permeating or leaking propellant. To validate the flow solver PICLas for this application, heat transfer results across parallel flat plates with nonflowing gaseous hydrogen and methane are compared to empirical relations of rarefied gas heat transfer and reference computations, showing good agreement with a deviation of less than 11%. Because gas flow usually occurs during and after evacuation, the heat transfer and skin friction coefficient in a symmetrical hydrogen channel flow with a wall distance of 30 mm is compared with literature data, showing a good match with a Nusselt number deviation of less than 20%. Furthermore, honeycomb tank insulation structures are analyzed, which can be used for future cryogenic liquid rocket tanks. Here, rarefied flow simulations are performed for slitted honeycomb structures with and without throughflow of hydrogen gas at a Knudsen number of 1.5 and transitional flow conditions at a Knudsen number of 0.1. The heat transfer results at the honeycomb sandwich are 50 to 70% below empirical relations for heat transfer across flat plates. Throughflow does not affect the heat transfer across the honeycomb because the Peclet number is less than 0.01.

Fundamental heat and entropy transfer mechanisms of convection underlying the first and second laws for an unsteady multiport system and their applications in parallel flow heat exchangers

Although thermal convection is ubiquitous in nature and technology, it has long been argued whether convection can be considered as an independent mode of heat transfer. Here, we show that pure convection mode is generally recognized from the classical first and second laws via mass flow by rooting the unsteady mass conservation relation through an equivalent multiport system. The fundamental distinction is made between convection driven by the thermal and entropy potential differences and mass flow accompanied by zero potential difference. The constitutive relations of the convective heat and entropy fluxes and their thermodynamic relationship are developed in terms of their potential differences with the exponential distribution of temperature difference in a compressible flow. In the absence of work transfer, the first and second laws are simply expressed by the standard Maxwell’s electromagnetic type equations via the total heat and entropy flux vectors. The pure convection theory is applied to a parallel-flow heat exchanger and the linear temperature difference distribution is obtained for both streams via the first-law definitions of the convective and overall heat transfer coefficients in an internal flow. The entropy generation rate inside a heat exchanger is recalculated and indicated to be driven by the difference between the reciprocal of outlet temperatures of two streams, from which the entropy generation number between outlets is developed to eliminate the entropy generation paradox. The present linear temperature difference profiles agree well with the experimental data, and the outlet entropy generation number is also justified by comparing with the previous nondimensionalizing entropy generation numbers.

An approach for topology optimization of heat sinks for two-phase flow boiling: Part 1 – Model formulation and numerical implementation

Two-phase flow boiling in heat sinks and cold plates is attractive for various thermal management applications due to high effective heat capacity rates and high heat transfer coefficients compared to single-phase operation. In addition, multi-physics topology optimization is sought for generation of high performance thermal management components. Yet, the design of heat sinks using topology optimization has been restricted to single-phase flow physics, due to incompatibility between available two-phase flow models and traditional single-phase topology optimization approaches. Interface-capturing two-phase flow models are too computationally expensive for optimization; mixture and two-fluid models that treat the liquid and vapor phases as an interpenetrating continuum with interfacial transport phenomena captured through empirical correlations are computationally tractable for heat-sink-scale optimization. However, the penalization approaches commonly used to define the structures formed during topology optimization results in arbitrary fin and channel geometries for which a universal two-phase flow correlation is not available. To enable coupling with two-phase mixture models, this work leverages a homogenization approach to topology optimization wherein heat sink designs are represented using spatially varying microstructures with optimized dimensions. A predefined microstructure geometry is chosen for which two-phase flow correlations exist and therefore topology optimization can be performed. This work is the first to develop a topology optimization algorithm using a mixture model for simulating two-phase flow boiling to design heat sinks and cold plates. Part 1 of this study develops and implements the algorithm to investigate topology optimized heat sinks at various heat inputs, topology optimization grid sizes, and maximum vapor quality constraints. Topology optimized heat sinks designed for single-phase versus two-phase flow are compared. There are significant differences in hydraulic and thermal responses of the single-phase and two-phase designs due to high effective heat capacity rates and high heat transfer coefficients of flow boiling. A companion paper (Part 2) focuses on manufacturing, model calibration, and experimental validation of the topology optimized heat sinks under two-phase flow boiling. The algorithm demonstrated in this work extends the capabilities of topology optimization to two-phase flow physics, and thereby enables the design of various two-phase flow components such as evaporators, condensers, heat sinks, and cold plates.

Prediction of heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of flow boiling and condensation using machine learning

Heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop are two critical parameters in diverse thermal engineering applications, and the prediction of these parameters plays a crucial role in the development of heat exchangers. Traditional methods are often reliant on empirical correlations based on limited refrigerants and experimental conditions. The present research explores the application of machine learning methods to predict the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of a wide range of pure and mixed refrigerants. The methodology involves the compilation of over 20, 000 experimental observations encompassing an extensive range of operating conditions, heat exchanger geometries, and refrigerants. A total of 27 machine learning algorithm models, such as regression tree, support vector machines, and deep neural networks, are trained on this diverse dataset to discern intricate patterns and dependencies. After dividing the dataset into 80% for training and the rest for validation, the machine learning prediction shows an ability to predict the heat transfer coefficient and the pressure drop with high accuracy in most of the refrigerants. Notably, the accuracy achieved by the machine learning models surpassed that of conventional correlations, highlighting their superior predictive capabilities. Furthermore, the accurate prediction of heat transfer enhancement methods added another layer of validation to the model’s effectiveness. It is noteworthy that the dataset employed in this study has been made publicly accessible online.

An experimental approach to heat loss measurement of horizontal two-phase flow boiling in low-pressure low-flow (LPLF) conditions

A crucial parameter remarkably influencing the reliability and accuracy of vapor quality measurements in flow boiling experiments is the measurement of heat loss. The latent heat loss estimation in two-phase flow boiling sounds more demanding than that of sensible heat loss in single-phase flow experiments. To accurately investigate the impact of vapor quality on the heat transfer coefficient of flow boiling, accurate estimates of heat loss and subsequent calibration of heat supplies are of a great significance. It is widely common that the single-phase flow tests are performed to estimate a fixed heat loss percentage and calibrate heat supplies for further measurements of vapor quality and heat transfer coefficient of flow boiling experiments. In the present work, an empirical methodology is first proposed to measure heat losses and calibrate latent heat supplies directly from flow boiling process. The proposed methodology is then compared and verified with the commonly applied methodology which uses single-phase flow experiments. The proposed methodology exhibited higher accuracy than the single-phase-based methodology to estimate heat losses and measure vapor quality within two-phase flow boiling under low-pressure low-flow (LPLF) operating conditions.

A prediction model based on data-driven method for velocity and heat transfer coefficient of falling-film liquid on horizontal tube

The prediction of liquid film velocity and heat transfer coefficient of horizontal-tube falling-film flow is important for the investigation and enhancement of the flow and heat transfer behavior. To date, the prediction mainly relies on semi-empirical-semi-theoretical formulas based on data fitting. This prediction method has many limitations and assumptions on working conditions, and the error is large when it is extended to practical applications. In this paper, a support vector regression machine prediction method based on sine cosine algorithm optimization is proposed to improve the prediction accuracy of the liquid film velocity and heat transfer coefficient. And the database was established by conducting horizontal-tube falling-film flow and heat transfer experiments. Results show that the support vector regression model has the best prediction performance with small sample size in comparison with other four machine learning methods and traditional correlation based on Least Square method. The RMSEs of liquid film prediction model and heat transfer prediction model are only 0.0281 and 0.0117 respectively. And the MAPEs are 8.58 and 2.63 respectively. The liquid film velocity and heat transfer coefficient were accurately predicted based on relevant parameters. The importance of these parameters was also analyzed.

CFD Analysis of Natural Convection on the Outer Surface of the Containment of APWR Model

To improve the safety of nuclear power plants, a modern NPP such as Advance Pressurize Water Reactor (APWR) is equipped with a safety feature called PCCS (Passive Containment Cooling System), where naturally circulating air cools the outer surface of the containment which is used to remove decay heat released inside the containment vessel. The decay heat from the reactor core will be transferred out through the conduction mechanism and the natural convection mechanism on the outer surface of the containment vessel. Then, the hot air that forms in the gap between the containment and its baffles will rose through the chimney located at the top of the concrete building and cold air will enter through the inlet to create a natural circulation cycle. To obtain the effectiveness of the use of baffles, as a comparison, it is necessary to analyze the natural convection heat transfer on the outer surface of a containment vessel that is not equipped with a baffle. In this research, CFD analysis of natural convection on the outer surface of the containment of APWR reactor model has been done. Based on the model developed, the analysis was done to get temperature and convection heat transfer coefficient in the air flow on the containment surface. Heat flux in the containment surface varied from 500 W/m2 to 2.000 W/m2 with an increase of 500 W/m2 intervals. Based on the analysis results, the correlation equations are also proposed in this paper, namely the correlation of natural convection heat transfer for laminar regime on a vertical cylindrical with the heat flux constant in the form Nuq = a(Raq)b.

A new heat transfer correlation based on flow patterns for hydrocarbon refrigerants condensation flow

To accurately predict heat transfer coefficients for hydrocarbon refrigerants condensation flow in heat exchangers is imperative for designing efficient systems. While various studies have proposed numerous correlations for predicting heat transfer coefficients, some of these correlations are based on fitted experimental data and are limited to predicting specific conditions. The prediction accuracy and capability for different working fluids remain to be evaluated. Currently, most researches mainly focus on pure working fluids, with relatively little attention given to mixed working fluids. In this study, six commonly used heat transfer correlations are evaluated and a new heat transfer correlation based on flow patterns is proposed. The research results indicate that the existing correlations have poor universality for predicting hydrocarbon refrigerants, and the prediction accuracy needs to be improved. The correlation developed in this study demonstrates good prediction performance for condensation heat transfer coefficients of 413 sets of hydrocarbon refrigerants, including methane, propane, ethane/propane, and methane/propane. The overall mean relative deviation (MRD) is −1.77%, and mean absolute relative deviation (MARD) is 8.12%. The correlation developed in this study can provide theoretical guidance for predicting condensation heat transfer coefficient for pure and mixed hydrocarbon refrigerants, aiding in the design of efficient heat exchangers.