Subsonic Pressure Recovery in Cylindrical Condensers

Abstract

A method is presented for predicting laminar, subsonic flow in axisymmetric cylindrical heat pipe condensers. The method involves the use of the boundary layer approximation and a noncontinuous power series to describe the velocity profile under conditions including strong axial flow reversal. A comparison between laminar predictions and measurements indicates that transition to turbulent flow in the condenser begins when the absolute value of the radial Reynolds number exceeds 6. The condenser pressure recovery in the turbulent regime can be calculated from the momentum flow at the condenser inlet and an empirical wall-friction parameter.