Comparison of Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop Characteristics of Heat Exchangers Having Plain Fins Under Dry and Wet Conditions

Comparison of Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop Characteristics of Heat Exchangers Having Plain Fins Under Dry and Wet Conditions

In this study, dry and wet surface pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics of heat exchangers having plain fins were investigated. Nine samples having different fin pitches and rows were tested. The wet surface heat transfer coefficient was reduced from experimental data using enthalpy-potential method. The wet surface heat transfer coefficients were approximately equal to the dry surface values except for one row configuration. For one row configuration, the wet surface heat transfer coefficients were approximately $30\%$ lower than the dry surface values. For the pressure drop, the wet surface yielded approximately $30\%$ higher values compared with the dry surface counterpart. Data were compared with existing correlations.