Condensation Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop of Brazed Plate Heat Exchangers Using Refrigerant R-134a

Abstract

Experimental heat transfer and pressure drop results for two brazed plate heat exchangers (BPHE) of different sizes are presented in this article. The BPHEs are a type of compact plate heat exchanger with parallel corrugated plates that are brazed together in series. Water and a glycol/water mixture in the liquid phase were passed through the heat exchangers in a counter flow configuration, and relevant experimental data were collected. The Wilson technique was then used to obtain the single-phase heat transfer coefficient in the corrugated passages. The BPHEs were subsequently installed in a simple refrigeration cycle and the heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops during condensation of R-134a were measured. Empirical correlations for this type of plate heat exchangers were developed, plotted, and compared with relevant published results.