A wind tunnel was designed and constructed to evaluate the global coefficient of heat transfer and the pressure drop of heat exchangers under forced convection. The wind tunnel was designed according to ASHRAE 41.2 (1987), ASHRAE 37 (1988) and ASHRAE 51 (1999) specifications.

The apparatus consists of an open wind tunnel (air circuit) and a water circuit that controls the flow and temperature of the water circulating inside the heat exchanger. Measurements of heat transfer rates are performed by both air and water sides.

The wind tunnel is capable of testing heat exchangers with a maximum capacity of 850W. The maximum volumetric air flow rate is 500 m³ / h. The test section has a cross section of 450 x 350mm, allowing tests from the simplest to the most complex geometries. Such restrictions allows the evaluation of 100% of the heat exchangers used in domestic refrigeration, making the wind tunnel the most suitable tool for the comparison of different technologies of heat exchangers under forced convection.