Condensation on a Vertical Plate With Sinusoidal Microfins – Further Considerations

Abstract

Recently-published experimental data for condensation of nitrogen on a vertical plate with sinusoidal fins and a subsequent analytical approach showed that, in the ranges of the data, the heat transfer coefficient increased as both pitch and height of the fins decreased. While the analytical result agreed well with the data, the resulting equation indicated that the heat transfer increased indefinitely as the pitch approached zero, as did a correlation given in the experimental paper. The present work addresses this deficiency and provides a result which may be used to determine optimum fin pitch and height.