The following article was published in ASHRAE Journal, December 2003.

Copyright 2003 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-

Conditioning Engineers, Inc. It is presented for educational purposes only. This article may not be copied and/or distributed electronically or in
paper form without permission of ASHRAE.

Microchannel Heat Exchangers

By Detlef Westphalen, Ph.D., Member ASHRAE, Kurt W. Roth, Ph.D., Associate Member ASHRAE, and
James Brodrick, Ph.D., Member ASHRAE

This is the tenth article covering one of several energy-saving
technologies evaluated in a recent U.S. Department of Energy
report. The complete report is at www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/
documents.
icrochannel heat exchangers (MCHXs) consist of flat
stituent aluminum components and brazes the assembly in a
brazing oven. Conventional heat exchangers, in contrast, con-
sist of fins made from continuous sheets with holes through
which the tubes pass (Figure 1). In assembly, the hairpin tubes
slide through the holes and a manual brazing process connects
the return bends to the open tube ends.

M microchannels connected in parallel between two

headers with fan-fold fins brazed between adjacent
tubes (Figure 1). Each microchannel tube is typi-
cally 0.05 in. to 0.1 in. (1 to 2.5 mm) thick and 0.5 in. to 1 in.
(12 to 25 mm) wide and has multiple internal passages. The
parallel flow arrangement enables use of MCHXs for larger-
capacity HVAC applications because it avoids the excessive
pressure drop created by single-tube multi-pass designs. In
fabrication, a manufacturer assembles the MCHX from its con-
Relative to conventional heat exchangers, MCHXs improve
heat transfer in two ways. First, the smaller dimensions of the
refrigerant flow passages increase refrigerant-side heat trans-
fer. Second, the flat tube orientation reduces airside flow resis-
tance, leading to either increased airflow or reduced fan power.
Energy Savings Potential
Although conventional and microchannel heat exchangers
can achieve the same energy savings, MCHXs offer the poten-

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tial for more cost-effective increases in the efficiency of an-air
conditioning unit. A cost-benefit tradeoff to examine the po-
tential for further efficiency improvement of a high-efficiency
(11 EER) 7.5-ton (26 kW) rooftop unit evaluated several dif-
ferent system configurations. It used estimates of future MCHX
economics based on volume production. The results indicate
that MCHXs could achieve a comparable efficiency boost at
significantly lower (approximately one-third to two-thirds)
incremental cost than using larger conventional heat exchang-
ers. Overall, MCHXs could boost EER from 11.0 to 12.2 with
about a two-year simple payback period when applied to a
unit operating in an average U.S. climate (see Reference 1 for
details of the analysis).
Improved heat transfer and reductions in both condenser
and evaporator fan power all contributed to lower energy con-
sumption. On a national basis, a 1.2 gain in EER translates
into about a 10% reduction in the energy consumed by air-
cooled air conditioning equipment, equivalent to 0.1 quads
(primary). This result appears to be conservative, i.e., MCHXs
would likely yield greater savings relative to a 9 or 10 EER
baseline unit.
Market Factors
Because MCHXs impact system cost in several ways be-
sides the heat exchanger, it is crucial to perform a system analy-
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108 ASHRAE Journal
sis when considering the application of MCHXs to a specific
unit. The reduced size and weight of MCHXs can result in a
smaller and lighter system, for example, reducing the chassis
size of a packaged unit. In addition, lower airside pressure
drop may decrease the required fan or blower size and, hence,
component costs. Lastly, the significantly lower internal vol-
ume of an MCHX reduces the required refrigerant charge.
MCHXs offer other benefits, including increased latent ca-
pacity for microchannel evaporators. Their aluminum construc-
tion also improves heat exchanger corrosion resistance. The
development of MCHX leak repair techniques using epoxy
rather than brazing suggests that MCHXs could be easier to
repair than their conventional counterparts.
MCHXs have a significant portion of the market for auto-
motive air-conditioning unit condensers, but they have had
limited success in stationary HVAC applications. Large HVAC
equipment manufacturers, who generally fabricate heat ex-
changers for their own products, have not invested the capital
equipment required to fabricate MCHXs. Similarly, MCHX
suppliers who might supply smaller HVAC equipment manu-
facturers are not yet in a position to provide low-cost MCHXs.
In sum, cost will remain a barrier until investments to cost-
effectively manufacture MCHXs are made.
Many manufacturers appear to believe that MCHXs have
greater technical risk than conventional heat exchangers. Suc-
December 2003
 Hairpin
Header Tube

Fan-Fold
Fins Continuous Fins
Return
Microchannel Bends
Tubes

Figure 1: Microchannel (left) & conventional heat exchangers.

cessful implementation of aluminum-copper joints in MCHXs

requires different design and manufacturing practice than con-
ventional heat exchangers. The currently recommended con-
nection approach, compression ring fittings that provide a
mechanical seal, works but is not as well-known as copper
brazing. Brazing techniques to join copper to aluminum are
being developed; these techniques also are not well-known
yet. In addition, the aluminum-copper joints require protec-
tion from galvanic corrosion.
Compared to conventional heat exchangers, current MCHX
designs can reduce design flexibility. Some common heat ex-
changer design details that are difficult to implement in MCHXs
include separate subcooling circuits in condensers,
counterflow for refrigerants with glide, and interlacing of cir-
cuits (i.e., distributing circuits associated with multiple com-
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pressors throughout the heat exchanger to enhance part-load
performance). To obtain performance equivalent to conven-
tional deep (four or more rows) heat exchangers, MCHXs re-
quire multiple coils because the maximum typical tube width
equals about one inch (25 mm).
MCHXs also need accurate performance prediction tools.
An Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) research
program charged with improving these tools may enhance
manufacturer confidence in using MCHXs.2 However, key per-
formance information does not exist in a format convenient for
heat exchanger design, such as a computer program with a
user-friendly interface.

References
1. TIAX. 2002. Energy consumption characteristics of commercial
building HVAC systems Volume III: Energy savings potential.
Final Report to U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Building Tech-
nologies, July.
2. Jacobi, A.M. et al. 2001. An assessment of the state of the art, and
potential design improvements, for flat-tube heat exchangers in air con-
ditioning and refrigeration applications Phase I. ARTI-21CR Project
20020-01 Final Report, September.

Detlef Westphalen, Ph.D., is an associate principal and Kurt

W. Roth, Ph.D., is a senior technologist with TIAX in Cam-
bridge, Mass. James Brodrick, Ph.D., is a project manager,
Building Technologies Program, U.S. Department of Energy,
Washington, D.C.
www.info.ims.ca/2746-82 or circle 82

December 2003 ASHRAE Journal 109