Development of vapour compression refigeration system test rig and eavaluation of test data for R134A condensation in compact heat exchangers with serrated Fin

Abstract

Two phase flow analysis for the condensation of refrigerants within the compact plate fin heat exchangers is an area of ongoing research. Compact plate fin heat exchangers are becoming very popular due to their high effectiveness and compactness. This paper presents the sizing of compact plate fin heat exchanger and development of test rig to generate the Refrigerant (R134a) condensation heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop in Brazed Compact Plate Fin Heat Exchangers (BCPHE) with Serrated (Lance&Offset) fins. Also the theoretical design, manufacturing and testing of BCPHE for generation of R134a condensation heat transfer coefficient has been presented. CFD methodolgy has been used to develop the Single phase water side heat transfer coefficient and friction factor correlations for Serrated fin using ANSYS Fluent 14.5. The heat balance analysis has been carried out for calibration of the test rig using measured test data on both circuits and recorded a maximum deviation of 8%. Heat transfer coefficient for condensation of refrigerant R134a in compact heat exchangers with serrated fin is estimated using measured experimental data.