Heat transfer characteristics of flat plate finned-tube heat exchangers with large fin pitch

The objective of this study is to provide experimental data that can be used in the optimal design of flat plate finned-tube heat exchangers with large fin pitch. In this study, 22 heat exchangers were tested with a variation of fin pitch, number of tube row, and tube alignment. The air-side heat transfer coefficient decreased with a reduction of the fin pitch and an increase of the number of tube row. The reduction in the heat transfer coefficient of the four-row heat exchanger coil was approximately 10% as the fin pitch decreased from 15.0 to 7.5 mm over the Reynolds number range of 500–900 that was calculated based on the tube diameter. For all fin pitches, the heat transfer coefficient decreased as the number of tube row increased from 1 to 4. The staggered tube alignment improved heat transfer performance more than 10% compared to the inline tube alignment. A heat transfer correlation was developed from the measured data for flat plate finned-tubes with large fin pitch. The correlation yielded good predictions of the measured data with mean deviations of 3.8 and 6.2% for the inline and staggered tube alignment, respectively.     

Flow boiling heat transfer coefficients at cryogenic temperatures for multi-component refrigerant mixtures of nitrogen–hydrocarbons

The recuperative heat exchanger governs the overall performance of the mixed refrigerant Joule–Thomson cryocooler. In these heat exchangers, the non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture of nitrogen–hydrocarbons undergoes boiling and condensation simultaneously at cryogenic temperature. Hence, the design of such heat exchanger is crucial. However, due to lack of empirical correlations to predict two-phase heat transfer coefficients of multi-component mixtures at low temperature, the design of such heat exchanger is difficult.The present study aims to assess the existing methods for prediction of flow boiling heat transfer coefficients. Many correlations are evaluated against available experimental data of flow boiling of refrigerant mixtures. Silver-Bell-Ghaly correlation and Granryd correlation are found to be more suitable to estimate local heat transfer coefficients. A modified Granryd correlation is recommended for further use.     

Estimation of performance of a J-T refrigerators operating with nitrogen-hydrocarbon mixtures and a coiled tubes-in-tube heat exchanger

The exergy efficiency of Joule-Thomson (J-T) refrigerators operating with mixtures (MRC systems) strongly depends on the choice of refrigerant mixture and the performance of the heat exchanger used. Helically coiled, multiple tubes-in-tube heat exchangers with an effectiveness of over 96% are widely used in these types of systems. All the current studies focus only on the different heat transfer correlations and the uncertainty in predicting performance of the heat exchanger alone. The main focus of this work is to estimate the uncertainty in cooling capacity when the homogenous model is used by comparing the theoretical and experimental studies. The comparisons have been extended to some two-phase models present in the literature as well.Experiments have been carried out on a J-T refrigerator at a fixed heat load of 10 W with different nitrogen-hydrocarbon mixtures in the evaporator temperature range of 100–120 K. Different heat transfer models have been used to predict the temperature profiles as well as the cooling capacity of the refrigerator. The results show that the homogenous two-phase flow model is probably the most suitable model for rating the cooling capacity of a J-T refrigerator operating with nitrogen-hydrocarbon mixtures.     

Assessment of condensation heat transfer correlations in the modelling of fin and tube heat exchangers

This is the second paper of a series that assesses the performance of a refrigeration system model by means of cycle parameters. In this case, the condensation temperature is the parameter to study and it is focused on fin and tube condensers. It also studies the influence of the heat transfer models on the estimation of this refrigeration cycle parameter and different correlations for the heat transfer coefficients have been implemented in order to characterise the heat transfer in the heat exchangers. The flow inside the heat exchangers is considered one-dimensional as in previous works. In the cycle definition, other submodels for all the cycle component have been taken into account to complete the system of equations that characterises the behaviour of the refrigeration cycle. This global system is solved by means of a Newton–Raphson algorithm and a known technique called SEWTLE is used to model the heat exchangers. Some experimental results are employed to compare the condensation temperatures provided by the numerical procedure and to evaluate the performance of each heat transfer coefficient. These experimental results correspond to an air-to-water heat pump and are obtained by using R-22 and R-290 as refrigerants.     

十二排圆形翅片管换热器的传热与流动特性研究

采用数值计算方法研究12排大管圆形翅片表面空气侧流体的流动特性,获得不同雷诺数下圆形翅片的速度分布云图、温度分布云图和流线分布图,并将模拟的结果与实验和实验关联式分别进行验证。研究结果表明：翅片间距为9.6mm第一排管壁侧和翅片表面的传热系数分别是翅片间距为2.4mm的1.67和0.97倍;前面六排翅片表面和管壁表面的传热系数具有很强的波动,而在第六排后翅片表面和管壁表面的传热系数趋向于稳定。     

Radiation and natural convection heat transfer from wire-and-tube heat exchangers in refrigeration appliances

The air-side heat transfer from wire-and-tube heat exchangers of the kind widely used in small refrigeration appliances has been studied. Radiation and free-convection components have been separately investigated. The radiation component was theoretically computed using a diffuse, gray-body network with interactions between each part of the heat exchanger and the surroundings. For the free-convection heat transfer component, a semiempirical correlation was developed on the basis of experimental tests conducted on a set of 42 low-emittance exchangers with various geometrical characteristics. Comparisons between overall heat transfer predictions and a second, independent set of experiments on eight high-emittance exchangers showed satisfactory agreement. The proposed analysis is suitable either to determine the heat transfer performance of an existing (already sized) exchanger or to design a new one for prescribed heat duty and working temperatures.     

Experimental studies on pressure drop characteristics of cryogenic cross-counter flow coiled finned tube heat exchangers

Cross-counter flow coiled finned tube heat exchangers used in medium capacity helium liquefiers/refrigerators were developed in our lab. These heat exchangers were developed using integrated low finned tubes. Experimental studies have been performed to know the pressure drop characteristics of tube side and shell side flow of these heat exchangers. All experiments were performed at room temperature in the Reynolds number range of 3000-30,000 for tube side and 25-155 for shell side. The results of present experiments indicate that available correlations for tube side can not be used for prediction of tube side pressure drop data due to complex surface formation at inner side of tube during formation of fins over the outer surface. Results also indicate that surface roughness effect becomes more pronounced as the value of di/D_m increases. New correlations based on present experimental data are proposed for predicting the friction factors for tube side and shell side.     

Thermal-hydraulic CFD study in louvered fin-and-flat-tube heat exchangers

Heat transfer performance prediction by CFD codes is of major interest. Usually air-side heat transfer characteristics of fin-and-tube heat exchangers are determined from limited experimental data. The ability of CFD code to predict flow patterns and thermal fields allows determining the heat transfer characteristics by performing ‘numerical experiments’. CFD calculations of a 1-row automotive condenser are compared to experimental results and correlations of the literature matching the fin design and the flow conditions. Calculations are performed for different air frontal velocities. 2D models, with uniformly constant fin temperature overestimate significantly the heat transfer coefficient. 3D models, taking into account tube effects, conjugate heat transfer and conduction through the fin are in better agreement with the experimental results. However, even if an offset in noticed between CFD calculations and the experimental results, the trends are comparable and CFD study permits to reach local information, leading to better understanding of the physical phenomena involved in compact heat exchangers. An attempt for 2D unsteady flow has also been performed. Results are discussed in terms of flow pattern and heat transfer coefficient behaviour.     

Air-side thermal hydraulic performance of multi-louvered fin aluminum heat exchangers

An experimental study on the air-side heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics for multi-louvered fin and flat tube heat exchangers has been performed. For 45 heat exchangers with different louver angles (15–29°), fin pitches (1.0, 1.2, 1.4 mm) and flow depths (16, 20, 24 mm), a series of tests were conducted for the air-side Reynolds numbers of 100–600, at a constant tube-side water flow rate of 0.32 m³/h. The inlet temperatures of the air and water for heat exchangers were 21 and 45°C, respectively. The air-side thermal performance data were analyzed using effectiveness-NTU method for cross-flow heat exchanger with both fluid unmixed conditions. The heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop data for heat exchangers with different geometrical configurations were reported in terms of Colburn j-factor and Fanning friction factor f, as functions of Reynolds number based on louver pitch. The general correlations for j and f factors are developed and compared to other correlations. The f correlation indicates that the flow depth is one of the important parameters for the pressure drop.     

Flow boiling of R32 inside a brazed plate heat exchanger

This paper presents measurements of heat transfer coefficient obtained during flow boiling of R32 inside a brazed plate heat exchanger (BPHE). Although R32 is known as a very interesting refrigerant for its thermodynamic and thermophysical properties, very limited flow boiling data are published in the open literature for R32 working in brazed plate heat exchangers.The present experimental data are measured to investigate the effect of refrigerant heat flux, mass velocity, inlet vapor quality and superheating at the outlet. The saturation temperature is kept constant at around 5 °C, which is a usual temperature level for evaporation in liquid coolers. As a significant result, differently from other studies on flow boiling with HFC refrigerants, mass flux is found to be very important, meaning a high contribution of the convective term on the heat transfer coefficient.The present data are also analyzed to assess available correlations for flow boiling inside BPHEs, in order to provide useful information on the accuracy of predicting methods that can be used for evaporators with R32.     

A survey of correlations for heat transfer and pressure drop for evaporation and condensation in plate heat exchangers

Plate Heat Exchangers (PHEs) are used in a wide variety of applications including heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration. PHEs are characterized by compactness, flexible thermal sizing, close approach temperature, and enhanced heat transfer performance. Due to their desirable characteristics, they are increasingly utilized in two-phase flow applications. Detailed research on heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics in these types of exchangers is required to design and use plate heat exchangers in an optimal manner. This paper reviews the available literature on the correlations for heat transfer and pressure drop calculations for two-phase flow in PHEs as an initial process step in order to understand the current research status. Comparative evaluations for some of the existing correlations are presented in the light of their applicability to different refrigerants. Overall, there is a significant gap in the literature regarding two-phase heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of these types of exchangers.     

Performance of finned-tube heat exchangers under frosting conditions: I. Simulation model

This paper describes an analytical model that was developed to predict the performance of finned-tube heat exchangers under frosting conditions. The method models the frost growth mechanism and heat exchanger performance in a comprehensive manner. The results include frost accumulation and its effect on energy transfer in relation to varying humidities, fin densities and ambient conditions.     

Experimental investigation on heat transfer characteristics of supercritical CO2 cooled in horizontal helically coiled tube

An experimental investigation on the heat transfer characteristics of supercritical CO₂ during gas cooling process in a helically coiled tube is conducted. The experimental data are obtained over a mass flux range of 79.6–238.7 kg m⁻² s⁻¹, an inlet pressure range of 7.5–9.0 MPa and a mean bulk temperature of 23.0–53.0 °C. The effects of mass flux, bulk temperature and pressure on the heat transfer coefficient for helically coiled tubes are investigated. A comparative analysis of the gravitational buoyancy and the heat transfer coefficient is carried out between helically coiled tubes and straight tubes. A new heat transfer correlation of the supercritical CO₂ in the horizontal helically coiled tube is proposed based on the experimental data. The maximum error between the predicted results of the new correlation and the experimental data is 20%.     

Measurement of the heat transfer characteristics of gas flow in fine channel heat exchangers used for microminiature refrigerators

The heat transfer characteristics have been measured for the flow of gas in the fine channels of the heat exchangers used for microminiature J-T refrigerators. The test channels were fabricated using a photolithographic technique similar to that used for the fabrication of the refrigerators. The unique features of such channels are their asymmetric roughness, their large relative roughness and a large variation of the heat flux and temperature over the walls of the channels. The tests involved both laminar and turbulent flow regimes. The results we have obtained are useful for designing heat exchangers in microminiature refrigerators.     

Experimental study on heat transfer enhancement of nanofluid flow through helical tubes

Fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluids flowing through helically coiled tubes under uniform heat flux condition are studied experimentally. The turbulent flow of two different kinds of nanofluids, i.e. Ag-water and SiO₂-water, are examined. Three different helically coiled tubes along with straight ones are constructed to investigate the effects of geometrical parameters such as pitch circle diameter and helical pitch as well as nanoparticle volume concentration. The viscosity and thermal conductivity of nanofluids are determined experimentally in different volume fractions and temperatures. The range of Reynolds number is from 8900 to 11970. The experimental outcomes show that using nanoparticles in coiled tubes can be more effective in improving the heat transfer rate than the straight tube. Empirical correlations are extracted based on experimental data to predict the Nusselt number and friction factor of turbulent nanofluids flow through helically coiled tubes.     

Refrigerant performance evaluation including effects of transport properties and optimized heat exchangers

Preliminary refrigerant screenings typically rely on using cycle simulation models involving thermodynamic properties alone. This approach has two shortcomings. First, it neglects transport properties, whose influence on system performance is particularly strong through their impact on the performance of the heat exchangers. Second, the refrigerant temperatures in the evaporator and condenser are specified as input, while real-life equipment operates at imposed heat sink and heat source temperatures; the temperatures in the evaporator and condensers are established based on overall heat transfer resistances of these heat exchangers and the balance of the system.The paper discusses a simulation methodology and model that addresses the above shortcomings. This model simulates the thermodynamic cycle operating at specified heat sink and heat source temperature profiles, and includes the ability to account for the effects of thermophysical properties and refrigerant mass flux on refrigerant heat transfer and pressure drop in the air-to-refrigerant evaporator and condenser. Additionally, the model can optimize the refrigerant mass flux in the heat exchangers to maximize the coefficient of performance. The new model is validated with experimental data and its predictions are contrasted to those of a model based on thermodynamic properties alone.     

Prediction of heat transfer correlations for compact heat exchangers

Zusammenfassung In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden zwei numerische Verfahren zur Bestimmung von empirischen Gleichungen in Kreuzstrom-Wärmeübertragern mit vergrößerter Oberfläche verglichen. Bei der ersten Methode wird nur eine Gleichung für den Wärmeübergangskoeffizienten auf der Gasseite gesucht, während der Wärmeübergangskoeffizient an der inneren Oberfläche des Rohres bekannt ist und nach den Gleichungen von Dittus-Boelter oder Gnielinski berechnet wird. Bei der zweiten Methode werden gleichzeitig Gleichungen für den Wärmeübergang sowohl auf der Gasseite als auch bei der Rohrströmung ermittelt.

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The following paper compares two numerical methods for determining correlations for heat transfer coefficients in cross-flow compact heat exchangers. In the first method, only the correlation for the air-side heat transfer coefficient is determined. The heat transfer coefficient on the tube-side is calculated using the Gnielinski or Dittus-Boelter correlations. In the second method, the heat transfer correlations both on the tube and air-side are determined simultaneously in order to predict the air-side heat transfer more accurately.

     

Evaluation of thermal contact conductance using a new experimental-numerical method in fin-tube heat exchangers

In a fin-tube heat exchanger the contact between fin collar and tube surface is obtained through mechanical expansion of tubes. Since the interfaces between the tubes and fins consist partially of metal-to-metal contact and partially of air, the features of heat transfer through the contact interfaces have not been fully investigated. The present study aims at the development of a new tool including an experiment and a numerical calculation for the estimation of the thermal contact conductance between the fin collar and tube surface, and pursues the evaluation of the factors affecting the thermal contact conductance in a fin-tube heat exchanger. Heat exchangers fabricated for the current study have been put to the test for heat balance in a vacuum chamber with water as an internal fluid. And a finite difference numerical scheme has been used for the data reduction of the experimental data to evaluate the thermal contact conductance. Fin-tube heat exchangers employed in the current research are of tube diameter of 7 mm with different tube expansion ratios, fin spacings, and fin types. The results of the present study imply that these parameters as well as hydrophilic fin coating have a significant effect on the thermal contact conductance. It has been discovered that the portion of the thermal contact resistance is not negligible compared with the total thermal resistance in a fin-tube heat exchanger, and this means that in order to reduce the thermal contact resistance thoughtful care should be taken in fabricating heat exchangers.     

Frost, defrost, and refrost and its impact on the air-side thermal-hydraulic performance of louvered-fin, flat-tube heat exchangers

The thermal-hydraulic performance under conditions of an initial frost growth on the air-side surface, and for subsequent ‘refrosting’ after a defrost period is experimentally studied for folded-louvered-fin, microchannel heat exchangers. In total, five heat exchangers are considered; the thermal performances during one frost-growth cycle for four different fin geometries are compared in terms of overall heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop, and j and f factors; the defrost and refrost characteristics of two heat exchangers are compared to explore geometry effects. Typically, the performance under refrosting conditions becomes periodic and repeatable after the third or fourth refrosting cycle. The allowable frost growth period (before a defrost is required), the defrost requirement, and the thermal-hydraulic performance depend on heat exchanger geometry for the specimens used in this study.     

Investigation of turbulent heat transfer and nanofluid flow in a double pipe heat exchanger

In present study, heat transfer and turbulent flow of water/alumina nanofluid in a parallel as well as counter flow double pipe heat exchanger have been investigated. The governing equations have been solved using an in-house FORTRAN code, based on finite volume method. Single-phase and standard k-ε models have been used for nanofluid and turbulent modeling, respectively. The internal fluid has been considered as hot fluid (nanofluid) and the external fluid, cold fluid (base fluid). The effects of nanoparticles volume fraction, flow direction and Reynolds number on base fluid, nanofluid and wall temperatures, thermal efficiency, Nusselt number and convection heat transfer coefficient have been studied. The results indicated that increasing the nanoparticles volume fraction or Reynolds number causes enhancement of Nusselt number and convection heat transfer coefficient. Maximum rate of average Nusselt number and thermal efficiency enhancement are 32.7% and 30%, respectively. Also, by nanoparticles volume fraction increment, the outlet temperature of fluid and wall temperature increase. Study the minimum temperature in the solid wall of heat exchangers, it can be observed that the minimum temperature in counter flow has significantly reduced, compared to parallel flow. However, by increasing Reynolds number, the slope of thermal efficiency enhancement of heat exchanger gradually tends to a constant amount. This behavior is more obvious in parallel flow heat exchangers. Therefore, using of counter flow heat exchangers is recommended in higher Reynolds numbers.