CT-14 Improvements to Resistance Proration Method for Horizontal Tubeside Condensation of Mixed Vapors with Noncondensable Gases
HTRI recently conducted an experimental and analytical study of vertical tubeside condensation. Using these experimental data and their analysis, HTRI has developed a mass diffusion correction factor, Cmd, that improves the Resistance Proration Method (RPM) for vertical tubeside condensation of multicomponent mixtures. The improved RPM is highly accurate in determining condensing heat transfer coefficients for tubeside condenser designs.
For condensation at the shear-controlled flow regime, the heat transfer mechanism and the flow pattern for horizontal tubes should be the same as those for vertical tubes. Therefore, this newly improved RPM for vertical tubeside condensation can be applied to horizontal tubeside condensation with some empirical adjustments. This report documents improvements to HTRI’s existing RPM for horizontal tubeside condensation and evaluates the performance of condensation heat transfer using HTRI horizontal tubeside condensation data. Comparisons show that the improved RPM predicts HTRI data within ± 25 percent accuracy for horizontal tubeside condensation in flow regimes ranging from shear-controlled to gravity-controlled.