Study on Surface Condensate Water Removal and Heat Transfer Performance of a Minichannel Heat Exchanger

Xiuli Liu, Hua Chen, Xiaolin Wang and Gholamreza Kefayati
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Xiuli Liu: Laboratory of Refrigeration Technology of Tianjin, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China
Hua Chen: Laboratory of Refrigeration Technology of Tianjin, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China
Xiaolin Wang: School of Engineering, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
Gholamreza Kefayati: School of Engineering, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: The condensate on the surface of the minichannel heat exchanger generated during air cooling substantially reduces the heat transfer performance as it works as an evaporator in the air-conditioning system. This has received much attention in scientific communities. In this paper, the effect of operating parameters on the heat transfer performance of a minichannel heat exchanger (MHE) is investigated under an evaporator working condition. An experimental MHE test system is developed for this purpose, and extensive experimental studies are conducted under a wide range of working conditions using the water-cooling method. The inlet air temperature shows a large effect on the overall heat transfer coefficient, while the inlet air relative humidity shows a large effect on the condensate aggregation rate. The airside heat transfer coefficient increases from 66 to 81 W/(m 2 ·K) when the inlet air temperature increases from 30 to 35 °C. While the condensate aggregation rate on the MHE surface increases by up to 1.8 times when the relative humidity increases from 50% to 70%. The optimal air velocity, 2.5 m/s, is identified in terms of the heat transfer rate and airside heat transfer coefficient of the MHE. It is also found that the heat transfer rate and overall heat transfer coefficient increase as the air velocity increases from 1.5 to 2.5 m/s and decreases above 2.5 m/s. Furthermore, a large amount of condensate accumulates on the MHE surface lowering the MHE heat transfer. The inclined installation angle of the MHE in the wind tunnel effectively enhances heat transfer performance on the MHE surface. The experimental results provide useful information for reducing condensate accumulation and enhancing microchannel heat transfer.

Keywords: minichannel heat exchanger; heat transfer; condensate aggregation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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