Abstract: Amid escalating market competition in the air conditioning industry, the optimization of tube-fin heat exchanger design, a critical component in mobile air conditioning systems, has emerged as a central area of research within the sector. Based on numerical simulations, introduces a novel design approach for condenser fins. Through systematic testing of individual heat exchangers and comprehensive validation using full-scale machine experiments, it is demonstrated that, compared to the original design, the implementation of the new fin configuration leads to a 3.5% to 4.2% reduction in the heat exchange capacity of individual components. However, the overall system performance degradation remains significantly lower than that of individual units, with the measured SACC decreasing by only 0.14% and CEER declining by approximately 1.2%. Additionally, the material cost of a single heat exchanger can be reduced by 8.4%. These findings offer the industry a strategic reference for achieving notable cost reductions through minimal performance trade-offs.

Key words: Tube-and-fin heat exchanger, Portable air conditioner, Cost optimization, Performance comparison