Abstract
In order to improve the performance of air-cooled condensers used at geothermal binary power plants, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed a novel enhancement, tabbed fins, for the air-side extended surface and compared it to earlier and other current concepts. A performance metric was derived that determines the benefits of heat transfer enhancements relative to pressure drop penalties, and used to design the geometry of the tabbed fins for use on plate fins with 0.5 in. (13 mm) tubes and circular fins with 1 in. (25 mm) tubes through numerical and experimental studies, with the collaboration of an industry partner, Super Radiator Coils. Results for the 0.5 in. (13 mm) design show a 17% improvement in heat transfer per unit fan power compared to plain plate fins, and the technology is being extended for use on circular fins with 1 in. (25 mm) tubes. With more detailed computational models and additional experimental work, it is anticipated that future designs of tabbed and other enhanced fin styles will further improve the performance of plate fins and tension wound circular fins.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 751-756 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| State | Published - 2005 |
| Event | Geothermal Energy - The World's Buried Treasure: Geothermal Resources Council 2005 Annual Meeting - Reno, Nevada Duration: 25 Sep 2005 → 28 Sep 2005 |
Conference
| Conference | Geothermal Energy - The World's Buried Treasure: Geothermal Resources Council 2005 Annual Meeting |
|---|---|
| City | Reno, Nevada |
| Period | 25/09/05 → 28/09/05 |
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/CP-550-38151
Keywords
- Air-cooled condensers
- Fins
- Geothermal
- Heat exchangers
- Heat transfer enhancement
