Shell-side condensation coefficient data are presented for the condensation of refrigerant R134a on tube bundles constructed from 26-fin-per-inch (fpi) and 40-fpi tubes. The tube bundles tested are five rows wide by five rows deep and have a staggered tube arrangement with a horizontal pitch of 22.2mm (0.875 in.) and a vertical pitch of 19.1mm (0.75 in.). The data were obtained at a refrigerant saturation temperature of 35 deg C (95 deg F) over a bundle heat flux range of 18,000 to 40,000 W/m² (5,700 to 12,700 Btu/[h×ft²] ). Average condensing heat transfer coefficients for the bundle as well as average condensing heat transfer coefficients for the middle tube of each row were calculated. The data show that the 40-fpi tube performs better than the 26-fpi tube. The data also show a marked difference in the row-to-row heat transfer coefficient trends between the two tube geometries.

KEYWORDS: shell and tube condensers, condensation, heat transfer coefficient, refrigerants, R134a, finned tubes, performance, heat flow, saturation temperature, testing, experiment, comparing