New correlation for natural convection of finned tube A-type air cooler

The temperature distribution in a finned tube bundle of an A-type air cooler is investigated. The heat transfer is governed by natural convection. By using a special steam condenser the effect of steam pressure on temperature fields formed outside the bank of finned tubes is studied. It is found that the distribution is approximately the same at various pressures with minor differences. The effects of two-phase flow on temperature distribution are also considered. All 3D temperature contours show maximum values, which highly depend on steam pressures. Moreover, asymmetric steam feeding and probable fouling inside the tubes are possible causes of contour shapes. The experimental Nusselt number as a function of Rayleigh number based on different parameters is investigated separately and simple correlations are presented. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.