Air-side heat transfer characteristics of spiral-type circular fin-tube heat exchangers

The objective of this study is to investigate the air-side heat transfer characteristics of spiral-type circular fin-tube heat exchangers used as evaporators in household refrigerators. The j-factors of the tested heat exchangers under non-frosting conditions were measured by varying the fin pitch, number of tube rows, and fin alignment. The j-factors of the spiral-type circular fin-tube heat exchangers were analyzed as a function of heat exchanger geometries and then compared with those of the flat plate fin-tube heat exchangers with discrete fins. Two empirical correlations of the j-factors were developed separately for the inline and the staggered fin alignment as a function of the Reynolds number, number of tube rows, and dimensionless fin pitch normalized by the hydraulic diameter. The mean deviation of the predictions using the present correlations from the measured data was 4.78% for the inline fin alignment and 6.02% for the staggered fin alignment.