PRINCIPLE OF DESIGNING FIN-AND-TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER WITH SMALLER DIAMETER TUBES FOR AIR CONDITIONER

The principle of designing fin-and-tube heat exchanger with smaller tubes is proposed in this study. The principle includes designing of fin configuration and designing of refrigerant circuits. In the design principle, the suitable fin configuration for 5 mm diameter tubes is designed by Computational Fluid Dynamic-based method, and the refrigerant circuit with 5 mm diameter tubes is designed by simulation-based method. To verify the results of designing, experiments on air conditioner unit are carried out. The experimental results confirm the design principle, and indicate that the optimal air conditioner with smaller diameter tubes has better performance and lower refrigerant charge which will promote the application of inflammable nature refrigerants, such as R290.