Fin-efficiency calculation for condensation in the presence of noncondensable gases

Conference · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993

OSTI ID:10172236

Panchal, C B

Plate-fin heat exchangers are being considered for many condenser applications. They are commonly used for the gas-separation process because they can provide a high thermal performance to obtain a low mean-temperature difference, essential for the gas-separation process. Plate-fin heat exchangers are also considered for the heat-pump system using nonazeotropic refrigerant mixtures. The brazed plate-fin condenser was considered to be a leading candidate for the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) system, where high-performance heat exchangers are essential for maintaining a low mean-temperature difference. Calculation of the fin efficiency is difficult for condensation in the presence of noncondensable gases due to the spatial variation of the interfacial temperature. An analysis was carried out to develop a simplified method to calculate the fin efficiency for condensation of a vapor in the presence of noncondensable gases. The analysis includes the variation in the interfacial temperature along the fin surface. Appropriate assumptions are made to simplify the coupled heat-conduction equation in the fin and the heat/mass fluxes at the interface. The resulting expression for the fin efficiency includes mass-flux parameters, and it is similar to the common expression used for single-phase flow.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 10172236
• Report Number(s): ANL/ES/CP--80354; CONF-9303200--2; ON: DE93017684
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140800
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320106
320303
42 ENGINEERING
420400
ALGORITHMS
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
BUILDING EQUIPMENT
CALCULATION METHODS
CONDENSERS
EFFICIENCY
EQUATIONS
EQUIPMENT AND PROCESSES
FINS
GASES
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT PUMPS
HEAT TRANSFER
HEAT TRANSFER AND FLUID FLOW
MASS TRANSFER
OCEAN ENERGY SYSTEMS
OCEAN THERMAL POWER PLANTS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
VAPOR CONDENSATION