A heat exchanger model for air-to-refrigerant fin-and-tube heat exchanger with arbitrary fin sheet Varun Singh*, Vikrant Aute, Reinhard Radermacher Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, 4164 Glenn L Martin Hall, College Park, MD 20742, USA article info Article history: Received 16 December 2008 Received in revised form 20 May 2009 Accepted 23 May 2009 Published online 6 June 2009 Keywords: Heat exchanger Evaporator Air cooler Finned tube Modelling Simulation Heat transfer Parameter Fin abstract A new model for simulating air-to-refrigerant fin-and-tube heat exchangers, with arbitrary fin sheet which encompasses variable tube diameters, variable tube locations, variable tube pitches, internal as well as external jagged edges, variable number of tubes per bank and variable location of fin cuts, is introduced. This model is based on a segment-by- segment approach and is developed to be a general purpose and flexible simulation tool. To account for fin conduction and air propagation through the heat exchanger, it is spatially modeled on a Cartesian grid. A new methodology for air side propagation, required for arbitrary fin sheets, is introduced. The model prediction is validated against experimental data for a condenser using R410A as the working fluid. The predicted results agree within 5% of overall heat load, and 25% for total refrigerant pressure drop. ª 2009 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved. Mode `le d’e ´ changeur de chaleur air/frigorige `ne a ` tubes ailete ´s muni d’une plaque d’ailettes arbitraires a ` vapeur - une e ´ tude nume ´ rique Mots cle ´s : E ´ changeur de chaleur ; E ´ vaporateur ; Refroidisseur d’air ; Tube ailete ´ ; Mode ´ lisation ; Simulation ; Transfert de chaleur ; Parame ` tre ; Ailette * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 301 405 8726; fax: þ1 301 405 2025. E-mail address: vsingh3@umd.edu (V. Singh). www.iifiir.org available at www.sciencedirect.com journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijrefrig 0140-7007/$ – see front matter ª 2009 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2009.05.011 international journal of refrigeration 32 (2009) 1724–1735