CONDENSATION PERFORMANCE OF SOME COMMERCIAL INTEGRAL FIN TUBES WITH STEAM AND CFC113

Integral fin tubes are used in some shell-side condensers to enhance the vapor-side heat transfer coefficient. Advanced manufacturing techniques have meant that tubes with complex fin profiles can be produced. In the present article, experimental heat transfer coefficients are presented for 12 commercially manufactured integral fin tubes, with a variety of fin profiles and dimensions, for condensation of CFC113 and steam. Best enhancement ratios of 3.3 for steam and 7.7 for CFC113 were found, for tubes with trapezoidal-cross-section fins and 26 and 50 fins per inch, respectively. The more complex Y-and T-profile finned tubes performed less wed than the best of those with conventional approximately trapezoidal-crass-section fins. The results show good agreement with a recent model.