Experimental investigation of the impact of non-condensing gas on the condensation of n-propanol on a low-finned tube

This paper investigates the impact of a non-condensing gas on the condensation heat transfer of n-propanol on a low-finned and plain tube. Despite the potential of low-finned tubes to enhance outer heat transfer during condensation, the literature lacks measurement data on the condensation of solvents and bulk chemicals on these tubes. No experimental investigations on the impact of non-condensing gas on the heat transfer during the condensation of solvents on low-finned tubes are available in the literature. This paper addresses these gaps by presenting measurements of the heat transfer during the condensation of n-propanol in the presence of nitrogen on a horizontal GEWA-K28 low-finned tube and a plain tube using a novel test rig design. The results show that even a small amount of nitrogen significantly reduces the outer heat transfer coefficient. This effect is more pronounced on the low-finned tube than on the plain tube. The experimental data provided in this article can serve as a basis for developing calculation models for the condensation heat transfer of substances from the chemical industry on low-finned tubes. •Novel test rig for condensation heat transfer measurement with non-condensing gas.•Condensation heat transfer measurements of n-propanol in the presence of nitrogen.•Comparison of horizontal plain tube and low-finned tube performance.•Great agreement between models and measurements for pure substance condensation.•Significantly higher impact of non-condensing gas on low-finned than on plain tube.