Frosting performance of tube fin heat exchangers with wavy and corrugated fins

• Published in: Experimental thermal and fluid science 1991, Vol.4 (5), p.613-618
• Main Authors: Kondepudi, Sekhar N., O'Neal, Dennis L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Devices using thermal energy; Energy; energy transfer coefficient; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; fins; frost growth; Heat exchangers (included heat transformers, condensers, cooling towers); tube fin heat exchangers
• ISSN: 0894-1777; 1879-2286
• DOI: 10.1016/0894-1777(91)90040-X

An experimental investigation was made into the effects of frost growth on the thermal performance of fin tube heat exchangers with wavy and corrugated fins. Although previous studies on frosting in heat exchangers have dealt with flat fins, there are few data on wavy or corrugated fins. Frost accumulation, pressure drop across the heat exchanger, and an energy transfer coefficient based on a logarithmic mean enthalpy difference (LMED) were quantified in terms of air humidity, fin type, and fin spacing. It was found that higher air humidity and fin density lead to more frost growth and higher pressure drops. These general trends are consistent with what has been reported in the literature. Contrary to earlier literature reports, the energy transfer coefficient was approximately constant for the duration of the test. In addition, it was found that the latent portion of the overall energy transfer process was approximately 40% of the total.