Flow condensation heat transfer correlations in horizontal channels

• Compile a database containing 2563 experimental data points of condensation heat transfer.
• Analyze and evaluate 28 condensation heat transfer correlations based on the database.
• Provide a guide to choosing better correlations for engineering applications.
• Reveal a need for improving prediction method and better understanding mechanisms.

Condensation heat transfer in tubes is extensively used in many industrial sectors. There were a number of investigations evaluating the correlations of condensation heat transfer in tubes. However, either the data used or correlations involved were limited, resulting in inconsistent conclusions. This paper presents a comprehensive review of correlations for flow condensation heat transfer in horizontal channels. A database containing 2563 experimental data points of condensation heat transfer in horizontal channels, including 1462 data points from conventional channels and 1101 from minichannels, is compiled from 26 published papers, with which 28 correlations are evaluated and analyzed. Twelve correlations have the mean absolute deviation (MAD) less than 30% against the database, and eight have 30% ≤ MAD < 40%. The MADs of the best predictions for the entire database, conventional channel data, and microchannel data are 17.0%, 14.4%, and 20.6%, respectively, indicating a need to improve the prediction method for microchannels.