Free convection condensation of steam on horizontal wire wrapped tubes: Effect of wire thermal conductivity, pitch and diameter

Present study reports accurate data for the condensation of steam on instrumented horizontal tube wrapped with 0.8 mm and 1.0 mm wires respectively. Wires made of copper, aluminium and brass with varying pitches of 2 mm, 4 mm and 6 mm are tested in the present study to investigate the effect of thermal conductivity on heat transfer. Thermal conductivity shows an important role; for 0.8 mm and 1.0 mm diameter wires wrapped on horizontal tube, effect of thermal conductivity is evident for all tested pitches, however, more dominant in the case of 2.0 mm pitch. For both tested wires (i.e. 0.8 mm and 1.0 mm), the best heat transfer enhancements compared to the plain tube are found at a pitch of 4.0 mm for all the cases of wire wrapped tubes.