A Comparison of Augmentation Techniques During In-Tube Evaporation of R-113

An experimental study was conducted to determine the potential of three techniques for augmenting in-tube evaporation of refrigerants: high-fin tubes, microfin tubes, and twisted tape inserts. Five tubes with internal fins and one smooth tube with a twisted-tape insert were tested. Additionally, experiments were performed with two reference smooth tubes having diameters similar to the maximum inside diameters of the finned tubes. All experiments involved evaporating Refrigerant 113 (R-113) by direct electrical heating of the tube wall. Local evaporation heat transfer coefficients were measured as a function of quality for a range of mass fluxes and heat fluxes. Enhancement factors were calculated by forming ratios of the heat transfer coefficient for the augmented tube and a smooth tube of the same maximum inside diameter. Mass fluxes, pressure levels, and qualities were fixed when enhancement factors were calculated. For the internally finned tubes the enhancement factors varied from 1.1 to 2.8. An internally finned tube having helical spiral angles of 16 deg produced the largest enhancement of heat transfer. The tube with the twisted-tape insert typically had an enhancement factor of about 1.5. Pressure gradient ratios and enhancement performance ratios are also presented.