Modeling of the heat transfer process in an air heat pump fanless evaporator

Institute for Thermal and Process Engineering, Cracow University of Technology, al. Jana Pawła II 37, 31-864 Cracow

^* Corresponding author: piotr.kopec@mech.pk.edu.pl

Abstract

This paper analyses the mixed convection process in a fanless evaporator of an air heat pump. The text of the paper shows the authors’ experimental studies results of the temperature distribution and the local values of heat transfer coefficients on the outer surface of vertical tubes with longitudinal fins for the case of mixed convection and fins of a specific shape of their cross-section (prismatic, wavy fins). The experimental studies include the air velocities w_a=2,3 m/s and the temperature differences between air and the refrigerant inside the heat exchanger tubes which is ΔT=24-40K. The results obtained were used for verification of CFD modeling of the heat transfer process for the discussed case of heat transfer and the geometry of the finned surface. The numerical analysis was performed for: the temperature distribution along the fin height, the tube perimeter and height, the distribution of local heat transfer coefficients on the finned tube perimeter and along its height. The simulated calculations were used to verify the method of determination of fin efficiency.