Heat transfer and pressure drop results for one- and two-row arrays of finned tubes

Experiments were performed to measure Nusselt numbers and pressure loss coefficients for annular-finned tubes deployed in either a one-row array or in an in-line or a staggered two-row array. The apparatus was electrically heated and air was the convective heat transfer medium. The transverse and longitudinal pitches were varied parametrically and, for each configuration, the freestream Reynolds number ranged from 7500 to 32,000. For the one-row arrays, both the Nusselt number and the pressure loss coefficient were highly sensitive to the transverse pitch. The Nusselt numbers for the first row of a two-row array did not deviate appreciably from those of the corresponding one-row array, with the greatest deviations occurring for staggered arrays having intermediate values of the longitudinal pitch. For the tubes of the second row, the Nusselt numbers for the staggered arrays generally exceeded those for the in-line arrays and were also less sensitive to the longitudinal pitch. The overall pressure drops for the two-row, staggered arrays were also quite insensitive to the pitch, with values that were about twice those for the corresponding one-row array. On the other hand, the pressure drops for the in-line arrays were always less than twice the one-row values, with a tendency to increase with increasing longitudinal pitch.     

Experimental Study of Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop for H-type Finned Oval Tube with Longitudinal Vortex Generators and Dimples under Flue Gas

To enhance heat transfer and reduce fouling of the finned-tube surface in economizers of coal-fired power plants, heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics for H-type finned oval tube with longitudinal vortex generators (LVG) and dimples, both in-line and staggered arrangements, are studied experimentally under flue dust condition. In addition, the ash samples and heat exchanger surfaces after the test are analyzed to help understanding the ash fouling and tube wear mechanisms. Compared to the original H-type finned oval tube, the Nusselt number of H-type finned oval tube bank with longitudinal vortex generators and dimples is improved by 34.5–41.7% (in-line arrangement) and 28.1–31.7% (staggered arrangement) within the studied Reynolds numbers, while the Euler number is increased by 21.9–28.3% (in-line arrangement) and 19% (staggered arrangement) in the clean finned-tube surface state. In the stable fouling state, the Nusselt number is improved by 37.7–42.3% (in-line arrangement) and 27.8–45.1% (staggered arrangement), while the Euler number is increased by 22.9–25.2% (in-line arrangement) and 33.3–42% (staggered arrangement). The results show that the novel fin structures can both inhibit fouling and enhance heat transfer effectively.     

基于有限元方法的横掠椭圆管束流动特性研究

采用有限元数值方法，使用ANSYS有限元软件，对不同流动形式和不同结构的椭圆管束进行了数值研究，得到了不同流速下的流动特性，通过速度分布的等值云图实现了流场的可视化，并与顺排和又排圆管管束进行了比较，对椭圆管束的对流换热状况有了掌握。计算结论表明，只要合理设计椭圆管的长短轴比，就可达到在增大对流换热强度的同时大大降低流动阻力之目的。研究加深了对椭圆管束流动特性的认识，并体现出采用方法对于椭圆管束流动特性的研究非常有效。     

Three Dimensional Numerical Investigation on the Effect of Wedge Angle of a Passage with Pin-fin Arrays

Heat transfer in passage with pin-fin arrays for cooling blade trailing edge was studied numerically. Three-dimensional numerical simulations were carried out for steady laminar flow in passages with different wedge angles between pressure surface and suction surface of cooling blade trailing edge to study the effect of different wedge angles (from 0°to 30°) on heat transfer and pressure losses. Research was carried out for both in-line array and staggered array. From this investigation, wedge angle 10°gives the best heat transfer performance.     

Experimental study of impinging heat transfer along rib-roughened walls by using transient liquid crystal technique

The objective of this work is to examine the detailed heat transfer coefficient distributions over a ribbed surface under impingement of in-line and staggered jet arrays by using a liquid crystal thermograph technique. In-line and staggered jet arrays with different exit flow orientations were considered. Three jet-to-target spacing Z of 3, 6 and 9 with in-line and staggered jet arrays were considered at jet Reynolds numbers of Re = 1500, 3000 and 4500 with three different exit flow orientations. In addition, the effects of rib configuration on the heat transfer distributions were discussed in detail. Results show that the local heat transfer rates over the ribbed surface are characterized by obvious periodic-type variation of Nusselt number distributions. The downstream peaks are diminished for increasing cross flow effect. Compared to the results without ribs, the heat transfer over the ribbed surface may be enhanced or retarded. Whereas, among the test angled-rib arrangements, the best heat transfer performance is obtained with a surface with 45° angled ribs.     

Two-Phase Flow and Heat Transfer across Horizontal Tube Bundles‐A Review

This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of two-phase flow and flow boiling across horizontal tube bundles. The review covers studies related to the dynamic aspects of two-phase flow on the shell side of staggered and in-line tube bundles for upward, downward, and side-to-side flows (i.e. the evaluation of void fraction, two-phase flow behaviors and pressure drops). Heat transfer experimental work and heat transfer prediction methods on tube bundles in cross-flow for plain, low-fin, and enhanced boiling tubes are also covered. The proposed flow pattern maps and semi-empirical correlations for predicting void fraction and frictional pressure drop are critically described. These prediction methods are generally based on experimental results for adiabatic air-water flows, and noticeable discrepancies are revealed in the results provided by them. This study reveals that before now, there were no heat transfer prediction methods that can be recommended as a general design tool. Finally, this study suggests further research focusing on the development of representative databanks and prediction methods.     

Influence of Tube Arrangement on the Thermal Hydraulic Performance of a Membrane Helical-Coil Heat Exchanger

Thermalhydraulic performances of membrane helical-coil heat exchangers in in-line and staggered arrangements, are numerically investigated. The influences of Reynolds number, dimensionless pitch, and arrangement on heat transfer and flow are discussed. Moreover, the axial and tangential velocity distributions were presented for various pitches and arrangements. The results show that the membrane helical-coil arrangement has a profound effect on the thermalhydraulic performance. For the smaller radial pitch (s ₁/d < 1.8), the heat transfer coefficient in in-line arrangement is higher than that in staggered arrangement. Meanwhile, the in-line arrangement gives a significantly higher friction factor than the staggered arrangement. However, for the larger radial pitch (s ₁/d ≥ 1.8), the coil arrangement appears to have no effect on the heat transfer and friction factor. In addition, the average Nusselt number Nu and the friction factor f for in-line and staggered arrangements were calculated and correlated against the Reynolds number and structural parameters. According to the thermalhydraulic performance evaluation criterion, the staggered arrangement is recommended as the optimal coil arrangement.     

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Tube-to-Tube Porous Medium Interconnectors on the Thermohydraulics of Confined Tube Banks

This experimental study investigates the effect of tube-to-tube copper porous interconnectors on the thermohydraulic performance of an in-line and staggered confined tube bank. The porous medium, having a transverse thickness equal to that of the diameter of the tube (9 mm), connects longitudinally six successive tubes kept as in-line and staggered arrangements with a square pitch of 2.0. The tubes are subjected to a constant and uniform heat flux and are cooled by forced convection under laminar-transition flow range (200 < Reynolds number < 1500) using air with a Prandtl number of 0.71 as cooling fluid. Experimental data presented here establish that by introducing tube-to-tube porous medium interconnectors for the maximum Reynolds number tested here, a reduction in the pressure drop by 18% is observed in the in-line configuration while the heat transfer is enhanced by 100% in the staggered configuration, when compared to their respective configurations without the porous medium. Defining an overall energy gain as the ratio of the heat transfer enhancement due to the presence of the porous inserts to the pressure drop incurred, it is seen that fixing the porous inserts in the in-line configuration is advantageous.     

Measurement of endwall heat transfer and pressure drop in a pin-fin wedge duct

This paper discusses the measurements of endwall heat transfer and pressure drop in a wedge-shaped duct inserted with an array of circular pin fins. The endwall surface is coated with a thin layer of thermochromic liquid crystals and a transient test is run to obtain detailed heat transfer distributions. Parametric studies include Reynolds number (10,000?Re?50,000), outlet flow orientation (straight and lateral) and pin configuration (staggered and in-line). The wedge duct has a convergent angle of 12.7°. The pin spacing-to-diameter ratios along the longitude and transverse directions are fixed at s_x/d=s_y/d=2.5. Pin-less wedge duct results are also obtained for comparison. Results indicated that the straight wedge duct with a staggered pin array is most recommended because of its significant endwall heat transfer and moderate pressure-drop penalty; while the turned wedge duct with a staggered pin array is least recommended since it yields the highest pressure drops and raises severe hot spots. A similarity of the pin Reynolds-number dependence of row-averaged Nusselt number is developed in the present wedge duct of accelerating flow.     

Thermal performance analysis of a tube finned surface

The present work submits an experimental work on the heat transfer and friction loss characteristic, employing a tube finned heating surface kept at a constant temperature in a rectangular channel. The tube fins attached on the surface (o.d.=29 mm) were arranged as either in‐line or staggered. The parameters for the study were Reynolds number (3700–30 000), depending on hydraulic diameter, the distance between the tube fins in the flow direction (S_y/D=1.72–3.45) and the fin arrangement. The change in the Nusselt number with these parameters was determined. For both tube fin arrangements, it was observed that increasing Reynolds number increased Nusselt number, and maximum heat transfer occurred at S_y/D=2.59. Thermal performances for both arrangements were also determined and compared with respect to heat transfer from the same surface without fins. With staggered array, a heat transfer enhancement up to 25 per cent for S_y/D=3.45 in staggered array was achieved in constant pumping power. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental study on titanium heat exchanger used in a gas fired water heater for latent heat recovery

In general, latent heat recovery is usually accompanied by the corrosion of the heat exchanger, which is caused by the strongly acidic condensate when the temperature of the flue gas is lowered below the acid dew point. The present study has been conducted to investigate the heat and mass transfer characteristics in a titanium heat exchanger with excellent corrosion resistance used for waste heat recovery with the condensation arranged in a gas fired water heater. In addition, the thermal efficiency of the gas fired water heater was evaluated based on the net calorific value at the maximum rated output during latent heat recovery from the exhaust flue gas. Parametric studies were conducted for the flue gas flow rate, inlet temperature and mass flow rate of the supplied water, respectively. Different arrangements of the tubes of the heat exchanger including in-line and staggered configurations were investigated. The experimental results indicate that the thermal efficiency of the gas fired water heater with a latent heat recovery (LHR) heat exchanger was enhanced by about 10% compared with conventional instantaneous water heaters, i.e., water heaters without heat recovery. In addition, in terms of the Nusselt number and the Sherwood number, the heat and mass transfer performance of the staggered tube bank type were approximately 50% and 10% higher than that on the in-line tube bank type when the Reynolds number of the flue gas was 10³.     

Thermal performance assessment of turbulent channel flows over different shaped ribs

Experiments are conducted to assess turbulent forced convection heat transfer and friction loss behaviors for air flow through a constant heat flux channel fitted with different shaped ribs. The rib cross-sections used in the present study are triangular (isosceles), wedge (right-triangular) and rectangular shapes. Two rib arrangements, namely, in-line and staggered arrays, are introduced. Measurements are carried out for a rectangular channel of aspect ratio, AR = 15 and height, H = 20 mm with single rib height, e = 6 mm and rib pitch, P = 40 mm. The flow rate is in terms of Reynolds numbers based on the inlet hydraulic diameter of the channel in a range of 4000 to 16,000. The experimental results show a significant effect of the presence of the ribs on the heat transfer rate and friction loss over the smooth wall channel. The in-line rib arrangement provides higher heat transfer and friction loss than the staggered one for a similar mass flow rate. In comparison, the wedge rib pointing downstream yields the highest increase in both the Nusselt number and the friction factor but the triangular rib with staggered array shows better thermal performance over the others.     

Thermo-Hydraulic Performance Evaluation,Field Synergy,and Entransy Dissipation Analysis for Hexagon-Like and Circular-Like Pin Finned Tube Bundles

In this paper, a comprehensive thermo-hydraulic performance evaluation for air flow across the hexagon-like and circular-like staggered pin finned tube bundle heat transfer surfaces has been numerically carried out by adopting the performance evaluation plot of enhanced heat transfer techniques oriented for energy-saving. In addition, the simulation results have also been analyzed from the viewpoints of field synergy principle and entransy dissipation extreme principle. The results indicate that the heat transfers are all enhanced based on identical pressure drop for the hexagon-like and circular-like pin finned tube bundles within the inlet velocity range from 1 m/s to 10 m/s studied. Moreover, the circular-like pin finned tube bundle offers the lowest friction factor increase ratio for the same Nusselt number increase ratio. Furthermore, the synergy between velocity and fluid temperature gradient has been proved again, having inherent consistency with the dissipation of entransy.     

Performance predictions of laminar heat transfer and pressure drop in an in-line flat tube bundle using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model

This paper shows how to predict the heat transfer and pressure drop for in-line flat tube configuration in a crossflow, using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). A numerical study of a 2D steady state and incompressible laminar flow for in-line flat tube configuration in a crossflow is also considered in this study. A finite volume technique and body-fitted coordinate system is used to solve the Navier–Stokes and energy equations. The Reynolds number varies from 10 to 320. Heat transfer and pressure drop results are presented for a tube configuration at transverse pitch and longitudinal pitch. The variation in velocity profile, isotherm contours and streamlines were compared for various configurations. The predicted results for average Nusselt number and dimensionless pressure show a good agreement with available previous work. The accuracy between numerical values and ANFIS model results were obtained with a mean relative error for average Nusselt number, pressure drop less than 1.9% and 2.97% respectively. Therefore, the ANFIS model is capable of predicting the performance of thermal systems in engineering applications, including the model of the tube bundle for heat transfer analysis and pressure drop.     

Numerical study of thermal-hydraulic and dust-deposition of tube bundles in an intermediate heat exchanger

Very-high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (VHTRs) are promising for efficient, zero-carbon hydrogen production. The intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) is a key piece of equipment for VHTR-coupled hydrogen production. Constrained by the limited space within the VHTR, the IHX must be efficient and compact. Besides, radioactive graphite dust deposition will reduce the performance and reliability of IHXs. Therefore, understanding the thermal-hydraulic and dust-deposition characteristics of IHX tube bundles is crucial for the design and safe operation of IHXs. This study uses the unsteady k-kl-ω model to simulate flow and heat transfer in IHX tube bundles. The discrete particle model combined with a deposition model is used to predict the movement and deposition behavior of graphite dust. The deposition model is achieved using user-defined functions. The model and code are first validated by empirical correlations and experimental results. The transient flow fields show that, in the in-line arrangement, unsteady and asymmetric periodic flow occurs with a period of about 0.047 s. The flow is steadier and more symmetric in the staggered arrangement due to the restriction of the main flow to the separation vortices. The maximum circumferential heat-transfer coefficient for inner tubes occurs at the impact point, where the central angle θ is about 60° and 0° for the in-line and staggered arrangement, respectively. The graphite-dust deposition rate decreases with increasing Reynolds number and particle size and the deposition mechanism is also analyzed in detail. With the current design conditions, the Nusselt number of the staggered arrangement increases by 27.90%–29.17% compared with the in-line arrangement, and the deposition rate decreases by 1.52%–3.15%. Furthermore, new correlations for Nusselt number and friction factor are developed for the thermal-hydraulic design of IHX tube bundles.     

Three-dimensional performance analysis of plain fin tube heat exchangers in transitional regime

Three-dimensional CFD simulations are carried out to investigate heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of a four-row plain fin-and-tube heat exchanger using the Commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics Code ANSYS CFX 12.0. Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of the heat exchanger are investigated for Reynolds numbers ranging from 400 to 2000. Fluid flow and heat transfer are simulated and results compared using both laminar and turbulent flow models (k-ω) with steady and incompressible fluid flow. Model validation is carried out by comparing the simulated case friction factor (f) and Colburn factor (j) with the experimental data of Wang et al. [1]. Reasonable agreement is found between the simulations and experimental data. In this study the effect of geometrical parameters such as fin pitch, longitudinal pitch and transverse pitch of tube spacing are studied. Results are presented in the form of friction factor (f) and Colburn factor (j). For both laminar and transitional flow conditions heat transfer and friction factor decrease with the increase of longitudinal and transverse pitches of tube spacing whereas they increase with fin pitches for both in-line and staggered configurations. Efficiency index increases with the increase of longitudinal and transverse pitches of tube spacing but decreases with increase of fin pitches. For a particular Reynolds number, the efficiency index is higher in in-line arrangement than the staggered case.     

Study of Heat Transfer Distribution in a Channel with Inclined Target Surface Cooled by a Single Array of Staggered Impinging Jets

An experimental investigation has been carried out to study the heat transfer characteristics in a channel with a heated target surface inclined at an angle, cooled by a single array of staggered impinging jets. The work encompasses the effect of three feed channel aspect ratios (5, 7, 9) and three exit outflow orientations (coincident with the entry flow, opposed to the entry flow, and both), and three Reynolds numbers (9400, 14,400, 18,800) on heat transfer. Results show that increasing the Reynolds number increases the heat transfer on the inclined target surface. The outflow orientations affect significantly the local heat transfer charactracistrics, through influencing the jet flow together with the crossflow in the impingement channel. The outflow orientation coincident with the entry flow and the outflow from both sides show better averaged Nusselt number values compared to outflow orientation opposed to the entry flow. The inclined surface affects the local Nusselt number distribution especially for the outflow orientation opposing the entry flow at the narrow region of the impingement channel. In general, the feed channel aspect ratio does not affect the Nusselt number distribution, except for outflow coincident with the entry flow. The local Nusselt number for aspect ratio 9 has been found to be greater than the Nusselt number for aspect ratio 5 by 11%. Additionally, for a given jet-orifice plate with staggered holes, the heat transfer is almost the same throughout the target surface for the outflow exiting in both directions.     

Heat Transfer Measurements inside Narrow Channels with Ribs and Trenches

Detailed heat transfer coefficient distributions are obtained for high aspect ratio (width/height = 12.5) duct with rib and trench enhancement features oriented normal to the coolant flow direction. A transient thermochromic liquid crystal technique has been used to experimentally measure heat transfer coefficients from which Nusselt numbers are calculated on the duct surface featuring heat transfer enhancement features. Reynolds number (calculated based on duct hydraulic diameter) ranging from 7100 to 22400 were experimentally investigated. Detailed measurements of heat transfer provided insight into the role of protruding ribs and trenches on the fluid dynamics in the duct. Experimentally obtained Nusselt numbers are normalized by Dittus-Boelter correlation for developed turbulent flow in circular duct. The triangular trenches provide heat transfer enhancement ratios up to 1.9 for low Reynolds numbers. The in-line rib configuration shows similar levels to the trench whereas staggered rib configuration provides heat transfer enhancement ratios up to 2.2 for a low Reynolds number of 7100.     

Thermally dependent viscosity and non-Newtonian flow in a double-pipe helical heat exchanger

A double-pipe helical heat exchanger was numerically studied to determine the effects of thermally dependent viscosity and non-Newtonian flows on heat transfer and pressure drop for laminar flow. Thermally dependent viscosities were found to have very little effect on the Nusselt number correlations for Newtonian fluids; however significant effects on the pressure drop in the heat exchanger were predicted. Changing the flow rate in the annulus can significantly affect the pressure drop in the inner tube, since the average viscosity of the fluid in the inner tube would change due to the change in the average temperature.The effects of non-Newtonian power law fluids on the heat transfer and the pressure drop were determined for laminar flow in the inner tube and in the annulus. The Nusselt number was correlated with the Péclet number for heat transfer in the inner tube. For the annulus, the Nusselt number was found to correlate best with the Péclet number and the curvature ratio. Pressure drop data were compared by using ratios of the pressure drop of the non-Newtonian fluid to a Newtonian fluid at identical mass flow rates and consistency indices.     

Heat transfer enhancement accompanying pressure-loss reduction with winglet-type vortex generators for fin-tube heat exchangers

This paper proposes a novel technique that can augment heat transfer but nevertheless can reduce pressure-loss in a fin-tube heat exchanger with circular tubes in a relatively low Reynolds number flow, by deploying delta winglet-type vortex generators. The winglets are placed with a heretofore-unused orientation for the purpose of augmentation of heat transfer. This orientation is called as “common flow up” configuration. The proposed configuration causes significant separation delay, reduces form drag, and removes the zone of poor heat transfer from the near-wake of the tubes. This enhancement strategy has been successfully verified by experiments in the proposed configuration. In case of staggered tube banks, the heat transfer was augmented by 30% to 10%, and yet the pressure loss was reduced by 55% to 34% for the Reynolds number (based on two times channel height) ranging from 350 to 2100, when the present winglets were added. In case of in-line tube banks, these were found to be 20% to 10% augmentation, and 15% to 8% reduction, respectively.