Numerical Simulation of Condensation for R410A in Horizontal Round and Flattened Minichannels

Heat transfer characteristics for condensation for R410A inside horizontal round (d_h = 3.78 mm) and flattened tubes (aspect ratio (AR) = 3.07, 4.23, and 5.39) with larger horizontal than vertical dimensions at a saturation temperature of 320 K are investigated numerically. The flattened tube has flat upper and lower walls and circular end walls. The heat and mass transfer model for condensation is verified by comparing numerical heat transfer coefficients of round tubes with experimental data and empirical correlations. Liquid–vapor interfaces and local heat transfer coefficients are also presented to give a better understanding of the condensation process inside these tubes. The results indicate that local heat transfer coefficients increase with increasing mass flux, vapor quality, and aspect ratio. The enhancement of heat transfer coefficients for flattened tubes is more pronounced at higher mass flux and vapor quality values (about 1.5 times the heat transfer coefficients for round tubes when G = 1061 kg m⁻² s⁻¹, x ≥ 0.8). Unlike in the round tubes, the liquid film in the flattened tube accumulates at the sides of the bottom surface and at the middle of the top surface of the channels when vapor quality is low. Peak values of liquid film thickness in flattened tubes are obtained around angles about the centroid θ of 70 deg and 117 deg, where θ = 0 deg is upward.