Abstract
Condensing heat transfer performance of a blazing plate heat exchanger was examined on the basis that the heat exchanger will be used as a condenser in a heat pump water heater. The effects of number of refrigerant paths and setting placement, such as a vertical placement with downward refrigerant flow or a horizontal placement, were evaluated. HFC134a was used as the refrigerant. Water was supplied to form a counterflow heat exchange. Three kinds of heat exchangers with different refrigerant paths of 6, 10, and 14 were used. Refrigerant temperatures at the exit of paths were measured by inserted thermocouples to evaluate the flow distribution. As a result, it was shown that vertical placement produced higher heat transfer rate than the horizontal placement. For the horizontal placement, heat transfer rate decreased with an increase of refrigerant channels due to uneven refrigerant distribution.
