Review of in-tube condensation heat transfer correlations for smooth and microfin tubes

This article provides a comprehensive review of the published literature on inside-tube condensation heat transfer correlations for smooth and microfin tubes with an emphasis on correlations used in air conditioning and refrigeration. The correlations presented are discussed and evaluated with experimental data from different authors for different fluids and flow conditions. This review is divided in two main parts: condensation inside smooth tubes and condensation inside microfin tubes. According to the comparison between empirical correlation and experimental data for smooth tubes, correlations proposed by Dobson et al., Dobson and Chato, and Cavallini et al. appear to be the most accurate ones to be used for different fluids and boundary conditions. In the case of microfin tubes, much additional work is needed to develop more general and accurate correlations.