Numerical Study of Condensation Heat Transfer in Curved Triangle Microchannels

A number of simulations on condensation heat transfer of R134 in straight microchannels and curved triangle microchannels with various curvatures are proposed. The model is based on the volume of fluid (VOF) approach and user defined routines including interfacial mass transfer. The accuracy of the model has been accessed with available correlation in the literature. Both the increase of mass flux and the decrease of hydraulic diameter can bring better heat transfer performance. The wall heat flux has little effect on condensation heat transfer coefficient. For all of the heat fluxes, mass fluxes and hydraulic diameters specified in present cases, the curved triangle microchannel show an edge in heat transfer performance compared with straight channels, and the performance can be further improved when fin height are increased.