A Theoretical Model of Film Condensation in a Bundle of Horizontal Low Finned Tubes

The previous theoretical model of film condensation on a single horizontal low finned tube is extended to include the effect of condensate inundation. Based on the flow characteristics of condensate on a vertical column of horizontal low finned tubes, two major flow modes, the column mode and the sheet mode, are considered. In the column mode, the surface of the lower tubes is divided into the portion under the condensate column where the condensate flow is affected by the impinging condensate from the upper tubes, and the portion between the condensate columns where the condensate flow is not affected by the impinging condensate. In the sheet mode, the whole tube surface is assumed to be affected by the impinging condensate. Sample calculations for practical conditions show that the effects of the fin spacing and the number of vertical tube rows on the heat transfer performance is significant for R-12, while the effects are small for steam. The predicted value of the heat transfer coefficient for each tube row compares well with available experimental data, including four fluids and five tube bundles.