A Critical Review on Condensation Heat Transfer in Microchannels and Minichannels

Abstract

Condensation in microchannels and minichannels is widely used in small devices such as air-cooled condensers for the air-conditioning and automotive industry, in heat pipes, thermosyphons and other applications for system thermal control. Currently, many research centers all over the world are dealing with the structure and operation of compact refrigerating devices. This is in line with the trend of 21st century that is moving towards the use of energy-saving and environmentally friendly technical equipment. In the present study, a critical review on condensation heat transfer in microchannels and minichannels is presented. This review include a wide range of different parameters such as the channel diameter (d), the saturation temperature (Ts), the mass flux (G), the vapor quality (x), different working fluids like steam, CO2 or R744, FC72, R22, R410A, and R407C, various shapes such as circular and noncircular, different orientations like horizontal and vertical, and systems consist of either single or multiple channels. At the end, recommendations for future studies will be given. As a result, this paper cannot only be used as the starting point for the researcher interested in condensation heat transfer in microchannels and minichannels, but it also includes recommendations for future studies on condensation heat transfer in microchannels and minichannels.