AIR-LIQUID HEAT EXCHANGERS

Heating and cooling without dehumidification

Present chapter is concerned with humid atmospheric air, being either heated or cooled
without condensation of water vapour. In this case the temperature of the air side surface
of the heat exchanger is higher than air dew temperature.
Air at atmospheric pressure flowing normally to a bank of smooth tubes, having low
thermal conductivity (equal 0.025 W/(m K)) at 20°C), presents low heat transfer
coefficients (<100 W/(m2 K)) at usual velocities. On the contrary, liquids flowing in the
tubes present heat transfer coefficients, varying with velocities and thermophysical
properties, around 500-9000 W/(m2 K). If the mass flow rates, specific heats and heat
transfer coefficients of air and of the liquid are constant, the heat flow rate exchanged is
given by the following equation [1], [2]:
Ft ∆Tm,ln
q= (1)
1 1 ln(re / rin ) Rs ,in Rs ,e
+ + + +
α e Ae α in Ain 2πLλtubo Ain Ae

If one of the terms in the denominator on the right hand side is larger than the others it is
called the controlling heat transfer resistance, because it fixes the value of the overall
heat transfer coefficient U.

Ft ∆Tm,ln
q= = U e Ae Ft ∆Tm,ln = U in Ain Ft ∆Tm ,ln (2)
1 1 ln(re / rin ) Rs ,in Rs ,e
+ + + +
α e Ae α in Ain 2πLλtubo Ain Ae

In the case of clean smooth tubes Ae≅Ain, Rsi=Rse=0 and negligible tube wall resistance,
αe =50 W m-2 K-1, αin = 5000 W m-2 K-1, Ue =Ui = 49.5 W m-2 K-1.
One way to minimize the adverse effects of the low heat transfer coefficient on the air
side is to use an extended surface. Equation 2 becomes:

Ft ∆Tm,ln
q= = U e Ae Ft ∆Tm,ln = U in Ain Ft ∆Tm ,ln(3)
1 1 ln(re / rin ) R s ,in R s ,e
*
+ + + +
α e Ω Ae α in Ain 2πLλ tube Ain Ae

Where the finned surface efficiency can be calculated as:

A fins (4)
Ω* = 1 − (1 − Ω )
Ae

Efficiency Ω of circular fins can be obtained from Figure 1, as a function of the ratio fin
tip diameter divided fin root diameter D/d and m L with m= [α/( λfin δ) ]0.5 and L=0.5
(D-d). α is the air side mean heat transfer coefficient, λfin is the thermal conductivity of
fin material and δ is half of fin thickness.
Efficiency Ω of continuous fins can be obtained from figure 1 with

1
D = 2 (pt pR /π)0.5 (5)

being pt the tube pitch and pR the tube rows pitch.

Temperature factors in equations 1 and 2 are reported in [3].…

1
D/d=1.2
D/d=2
0,8
Fin efficiency

D/d=3
D/d=4
0,6

0,4

0,2

0
0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3

mL
Figure 1 Fin efficiency (D fin tip diameter, d fin root diameter)

Air
Air
pT

pR

Figure 2

2
Cooling and dehumidification

When the temperature of the coil surface is lower than air dew temperature, water vapor
in the air condenses and a liquid film is formed. In this case latent heat and sensible heat
are exchanged. If the number of Lewis is considered equal one and neglecting
condensate enthalpy flux, on a small surface of area dA the heat flow rate dqT exchanged
is:
α
dq = [(h − hS )]dA (6)
cS

where α is the air side heat transfer coefficient, h air enthalpy, hS the enthalpy of
saturated air at the temperature of the surface, cS is the humid air specific heat.

cS =   = cP,dry air + cP, water vapour x

∂h (7)
 ∂t  x

If air is cooling and dehumidifying on a finned surface, finned surface efficiency is

calculated with equation 3 and fin efficiency can be obtained using figure 1 when
0.5
 α b   ∂h 
m=  where b =  S ,air 
 ∂t  (8)
λ δ c   P
 fin S 
where hS,air is the enthalpy of humid saturated air, given in figure 3.

For small temperature range (5-6°C) hS,air can be interpolated with the equation of a
straight line, as a function of temperature for a fixed atmospheric pressure

hS,air = a + b t (9)

Coefficient b is reported in figure 4. When calculating fin efficiency b is evaluated at the

mean fin temperature.
When cooling and dehumidifying humid air, the heat flow rate exchanged on a small
heat transfer area dAe becomes

[ ]
dq = K e' ⋅ dAe ⋅ (hair − hS ,insidefluid ) (10)

where hS,inside fluid is the saturated air enthalpy at the temperature of the fluid flowing
inside the tubes, hair is enthalpy of air and

1
K e' = (11)
cS  Ae Ae r 
+ b + ln e 
α air Ω *  α in Ain 2πLλtube rin 

Coefficient b is evaluated at the mean temperature between tube outside wall

temperature and temperature of fluid flowing inside the tubes.
When heat transfer coefficients are constant and wall, fin, inside fluid temperatures do
not vary more than 6 °C, supposing counter or parallel flow:

3
 ∆h2 − ∆h1
q = K e' ⋅ Ae ⋅ = K e' ⋅ Ae ⋅ ∆hml (12)
∆h
ln 2
∆h1

where enthalpy differences

∆h = (hair − hS ,insidefluid )

are calculated at the sides 1 and 2 of the heat exchanger.

300
Saturated air enthalpy (kJ kg )
-1

P= 1 atm
250

200

150

100

50

0
0 10 20 30 40 50
Temperature (°C)

Fig.3 Enthalpy of saturated air as a function of temperature and at atmospheric pressure.

4
 18

16
(dh/dT)s (kJ/ kg K)

14

12

10

6
P =80000 Pa
P=101325 Pa
4

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Temperature (°C)
Fig. 4 Derivative of saturated air enthalpy with respect of temperature at pressures
P=101325 Pa and P=80000 Pa

Nomenclature
A surface area [m2]
cP specific heat at constant pressure[ J kg-1 K-1]
cS specific heat humid air[ J /(kgdry air K)]
D fin tip diameter [m]
d fin root diameter [m]
Ft mean logarithmic temperature correction for flow different from counter flow
h enthalpy [J/kg]
L tube length [m] relative to surface area A
p, P pressure [Pa]
pt tube pitch [m]
pR tube rows pitch [m]
q heat flow rate [W]
r tube radius [m]
RS fouling factor [m2 K W-1]
t temperature [°C]
T temperature [K]
U overall heat transfer coefficient [W/(m2 K)]
x humidity ratio [kg of water vapour / kg dry air in the same volume]
α heat transfer coefficient [W/(m2 K)]
δ half fin thickness [m]
∆ difference
λ thermal conductivity [W/(m K)]

5
µ viscosity [kg/(m s)]
ρ density [kg/m3]
τ shear stress [N/m2]
Ω fin efficiency
Ω* finned surface efficiency

Subscripts
e external
in inside
ln logarithmic
m mean
S saturation

REFERENCES
[1] Bonacina C., Cavallini A., Mattarolo L., Trasmissione del Calore, CLEUP Padova,
1985.
[2] Hewitt, G.F., Shires, G.L., Bott, T.R., Process heat transfer, CRC Press and Begell
House, Boca Raton, 1994.
[3] Taborek J. Chapter 1.5, Heat Exchanger Design Handbook, Hemisphere Publ. Corp.
And Begell House, 1983.
[4] Kays, W.M., London, A.L., Compact heat exchangers, McGraw-Hill, New York,
1984.
[5] VDI Wärme Atlas, Springer, 2006.
[6] Threlkeld, J.L., Thermal enviromental engineering, Prentice –Hall, Englewood
Cliffs, N.J., 1970.