Experimental thermal performance study of an inclined heat pipe heat exchanger operating in high humid tropical HVAC systems

In an earlier paper [Y.H. Yau, Application of a heat pipe heat exchanger to dehumidification enhancement in tropical HVAC systems – a baseline performance characteristics study, International Journal of Thermal Sciences 46 (2) (2007) 164–171], the author had established the baseline performance characteristics of the eight-row wickless heat pipe heat exchanger (HPHX) for a vertical configuration under a range of conditions appropriate for a tropical climate. Now, the same basic experimental set-up was to be used in the present research with the HPHX tilted 30°. In this configuration, the gravitational force would be expected to enhance drainage of any condensation forming on the extended fin surfaces of the HPHX evaporator section, and therefore, the effectiveness of the HPHX could be anticipated to be better than the vertical configuration, particularly when processing inlet air with high RH. The investigation has been carried out for 32 experiments with typically high RH and the results are presented in this paper. The results suggested that the possibly adverse influence of condensate forming on the fins of the HPHX was negligible, and therefore the HPHX in a typically-used vertical configuration could perform equally as well as it would if the HPHX was installed in an inclined position.