Condensation heat transfer coefficients for R22 and R407C in gravity driven flow regime within a smooth horizontal tube

The quasi local heat transfer coefficients of R22 and R407C in the coaxial counterflow condenser (20 mm ID) of a refrigerating vapour compression plant have been experimentally measured. The experimental conditions under which the heat transfer coefficients were determined reflect a typical working situation for small scale refrigeration systems. The plant runs with low mass fluxes of refrigerant within the range of 45.5–120 kg/m²/s. During the experimental tests the pressure at the inlet of the test condenser varies within a fixed range between 15.2 and 14.3 bar. The results illustrate that the R22 heat transfer coefficient is always greater than that of R407C. Furthermore, comparisons between the experimental data and the values predicted by means of the most credited literature relationships for gravity-driven condensation are reported.