Numerical study of heat and mass transfer of binary mixtures condensation in mini-channels

This work presents a model to study condensation heat and mass transfer characteristics of binary mixtures inside mini-channels. By considering the mass and heat transfer resistances in the vapor phase, the conservation equations of mass, species, momentum and energy are solved using higher order finite element method. The model is validated by comparing the predicted results with experimental data from the literature, in particular for the case of methane/ethane mixtures at different compositions and working conditions in a tube of 1.0 mm in diameter. The results show a reasonably good prediction of the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop by comparing with these experimental data. The model is then used to study the effect of mass flux, wall heat flux and system inlet pressure on the heat and mass transfer resistances during condensation of binary mixtures. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.