Abstract
A model has been developed for predicting the amount of condensate retained as drops on the air-side of heat exchangers operating under dehumidifying conditions. For a coil with a given surface wettability, characterized by the advancing contact angle, the maximum diameter for a retained drop is obtained from a balance between gravitational and surface tension forces. A logarithmic function is used to describe the size-distribution of drops on fins, based on the fraction of fin-area covered by liquid. The volumes of individual drops are calculated by a geometric method for approximating the three dimensional shapes of drops on vertical and inclined surfaces. The total volume of condensate accumulated on a coil is then found by multiplying the size-distribution and volume functions and integrating over all drop diameters. The model is successful in predicting measurements by other researchers of the mass of condensate retained on plain-fin heat exchangers.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages | 203-210 |
Number of pages | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2004 |
Event | Proceedings of the ASME Heat Transfer/Fluids Engineering Summer Conference 2004, HT/FED 2004 - Charlotte, NC, United States Duration: Jul 11 2004 → Jul 15 2004 |
Other
Other | Proceedings of the ASME Heat Transfer/Fluids Engineering Summer Conference 2004, HT/FED 2004 |
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Country/Territory | United States |
City | Charlotte, NC |
Period | 7/11/04 → 7/15/04 |
Keywords
- Condensation
- Heat exchangers
- Retention
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Engineering