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Air-side heat transfer enhancement of a refrigerator evaporator using vortex generation.

Author(s) : SOMMERS A. D., JACOBI A. M.

Type of article: Article, IJR article

Summary

In most domestic and commercial refrigeration systems, frost forms on the air-side surface of the air-to-refrigerant heat exchanger. Frost-tolerant designs typically employ a large fin spacing in order to delay the need for a defrost cycle. Unfortunately, this approach does not allow for a very high air-side heat transfer coefficient, and the performance of these heat exchangers is often air-side limited. Longitudinal vortex generation is a proven and effective technique for thinning the thermal boundary layer and enhancing heat transfer, but its efficacy in a frosting environment is essentially unknown. In this study, an array of delta-wing vortex generators is applied to a plain-fin-and-tube heat exchanger with a fin spacing of 8.5 mm. Heat transfer and pressure drop performance are measured to determine the effectiveness of the vortex generator under frosting conditions. For air-side Reynolds numbers between 500 and 1300, the air-side thermal resistance is reduced by 35-42% when vortex generation is used. Correspondingly, the heat transfer coefficient is observed to range from 33 to 53 W/m2.K for the enhanced heat exchanger and from 18 to 26 W/m2.K for the baseline heat exchanger.

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Pages: 1006-1017

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Details

  • Original title: Air-side heat transfer enhancement of a refrigerator evaporator using vortex generation.
  • Record ID : 2005-2596
  • Languages: English
  • Source: International Journal of Refrigeration - Revue Internationale du Froid - vol. 28 - n. 7
  • Publication date: 2005/11

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