Numerical Analysis of an Air-cooled Ammonia Condenser with Plate Fins

Ammonia has been used as refrigerant for more than 100 years in absorption as well as in compression systems. Due to its poisonous and inflammable properties, however, its use has been mainly on heavy industrial plants in which regular maintenance is available. For these systems, condensers are generally water∼cooled. This is suitable for large systems over 20RT but is not suitable for small systems. In order to apply ammonia for a small system, it is important to adopt an air-cooled condenser. In this study, simple numerical analysis of an air-cooled condenser for an ammonia refrigeration system has been carried out. The condenser is designed as horizontal tubes with plate fins attached at the outer surface to enhance the air-side heat transfer rate. Effect of fin shape and arrangement are studied in detail. Since the local heat transfer coefficient is highest at the leading edge, heat flux is highest at the edge and decreases along the distance. Conditions of inlet air are also varied in the study and condenser length that is required for full condensation is calculated. The results show that it is important to enhance both the air-side and internal heat transfer coefficients.