Effect of Fin Geometry on Condensation of R407C in a Staggered Bundle of Horizontal Finned Tubes

Experimental results are presented that show the effect of fin geometry on condensation of downward flowing zeotropic refrigerant mixture R407C in a staggered bundle of horizontal finned tubes. Two types of conventional low-fin tubes and three types of three-dimensional-fin tubes were tested. The refrigerant mass velocity ranged from 4 to 23 kg/m² s and the condensation temperature difference from 3 to 12 K. The measured condensation heat transfer coefficient was lower than the previous results for R134a, with the difference being more significant for smaller mass velocity. The effect of fin geometry on the condensation heat transfer coefficient was less significant for R407C than for R134a. The effect of condensate inundation was more significant for the three-dimensional-fin tubes than for the low-fin tubes. By using the dimensionless heat transfer correlation for the condensate film that was based on the experimental data for R134a, a superficial vapor-phase heat transfer coefficient was obtained for condensation of R407C. The vapor-phase heat transfer coefficient showed characteristics similar to the vapor-phase mass transfer coefficient that was obtained in the previous study for R123/R134a.