Energy efficiency in horizontal non-circular micro-condenser

This study contributes to a better understanding of condensation heat transfer in horizontal non-circular micro-condenser. For this purpose, the experimental investigations of a two-phase flow were conducted to study various flow patterns and coalescence phenomena of steam condensation in rectangular microchannel with hydraulic diameter of 305μm (depth of 310μm and width of 300μm). Local surface temperatures along the microchannel corresponding of each two-phase flow structure are measured and analyzed. In parallel, the conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy have been numerically solved in both phases (liquid and vapor). Numerical results relative to variations of the condensate film thickness, the condensation length and heat transfer coefficients, are analyzed in terms of the influencing physical and geometrical quantities. The effect of the microchannel shapes on the average Nusselt number is highlighted by studying condensation of steam in-rectangular microchannels for different aspect ratio M.