Heat Transfer in Coiled Square Tubes for Laminar Flow of Slurry of Microencapsulated Phase Change Material

Passive heat transfer enhancement using a slurry of microencapsulated phase-change material (MEPCM) flowing in a laminar regime through a coiled duct of square cross section was evaluated. The phase-change material is n-octadecane. The flow behavior and heat transfer performance of water and MEPCM suspensions in various configurations (conical spiral, in-plane spiral, and helical spiral) of coiled tubes of square cross section was investigated. The results are compared with those for water as the base fluid flowing through a straight tube. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach is used to simulate the laminar flow of water with MEPCM suspension in these geometries. The liquid suspension properties are expressed as functions of the volumetric concentration of MEPCM particles and the temperature. Improved heat transfer performance was obtained as the concentration of MEPCM suspension increased from 1 to 10%. However, the overall performance in terms of the pumping power consumed for unit heat transferred worsened.     

Effect of power-law fluid behavior on momentum and heat transfer characteristics of an inclined square cylinder in steady flow regime

The governing equations describing the momentum and heat transfer phenomena of power-law non-Newtonian fluids over a heated square cylinder at 45° of incidence in the two-dimensional (2-D) steady flow regime are solved numerically. Extensive results on the detailed structure of the flow and temperature fields as well as on the gross engineering parameters are presented over the following ranges of conditions: 0.2 ? n ? 1; 0.1 ? Re ? 40 and 0.7 ? Pr ? 100. At low Reynolds numbers, the flow remains attached to the surface of the cylinder. This seems to occur for all values of power-law index, at least up to about Re = 1. On the other hand, twin standing vortices were seen to form at Re = 10 for all values of power-law index considered herein. The influence of the Reynolds number and power-law index is delineated on the detailed structure of the flow field (streamlines), wake characteristics and surface pressure distribution as well as on the value of drag coefficients. Similarly, the effect of Prandtl number is studied on forced convective heat transfer for the two commonly encountered boundary conditions, namely, constant temperature or constant heat flux prescribed on the surface of the cylinder. Using the computed numerical results, simple heat transfer correlations are obtained in terms of the Nusselt number as a function of the pertinent governing parameters thereby enabling the prediction of the rate of heat transfer between the fluid and the immersed cylinder. In addition, variation of the local Nusselt number on the surface of the inclined of square cylinder and representative isotherm plots are also presented to elucidate the effect of Reynolds number, Prandtl number and power-law index on the heat transfer phenomenon.     

Effects of viscous dissipation and fluid axial heat conduction on heat transfer for non-Newtonian fluids in ducts with uniform wall temperature: Part I: Parallel plates and circular ducts

Laminar heat transfer in parallel plates and circular ducts subject to uniform wall temperature is studied by taking into account both viscous dissipation and fluid axial heat conduction in an infinite region. Developing temperature fields are evaluated numerically by a finite-difference method for various Brinkman numbers (Br) and Peclet numbers (Pe). Nusselt numbers are presented graphically for Pe = 10 and Pe → ∞, and Br = 0, ± 0.5 and ± 1 for non-Newtonian fluids described by the power-law model with the flow index of n = 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5. It is shown that Nusselt number has a single fixed value independent of Br in the thermally developing region and its numerical value is equal to that at the fully developed region for non-zero Br, when the preheating of incoming fluid due to both viscous dissipation and fluid axial heat conduction is considered.     

Thermal Performance of Coiled Square Tubes at Large Temperature Differences for Heat Exchanger Application

In many heat exchanger applications, working fluid inside the tubes is subjected to considerable temperature changes. Coiled tubes are used widely in heat exchanger applications due to the enhanced heat transfer rate caused by secondary flows. This study examines the thermal performance of three configurations of coiled tubes of square cross-section, namely, in-plane, helical, and conical coiled tubes, subjected to a large temperature difference between the fluid and the wall and compares it with that of a straight tube of identical cross-section area and length. The concept of figure of merit (FoM) is introduced to compare the heat transfer performance of the various configurations tested. The results indicate that FoM increases as the wall temperature is increased. In addition, the combination of temperature-induced buoyant flow and curvature-induced secondary flow significantly affects the flow behavior and heat transfer performance inside the tubes. The coil pitch in helical and conical tubes has an adverse effect on the heat transfer performance due to shift in vortices generation. The in-plane spiral tube operates at a higher wall temperature and lower Reynolds number, which gives rise to a higher FoM. The highest Nusselt number is obtained for the in-plane spiral tube at higher wall temperature and higher Reynolds number, which shows potential for practical applications.     

Numerical analysis of laminar heat transfer performance of in-plane spiral ducts with various cross-sections at fixed cross-section area

A numerical approach is carried out to investigate the heat transfer performance of in-plane spiral ducts with various cross sections – rectangular, square, triangular, trapezoidal, circular and half circular. Simulations were carried out at a constant inlet Reynolds number at fixed cross section area for both constant wall temperature and constant wall heat flux conditions. Results are compared to straight ducts of the same cross sections and at the same length as the coiled ducts. The effects of Reynolds number and Prandtl number are also discussed for various geometries. The results are presented and are aimed to determine the advantages, limitations and effects of in-plane spiral ducts of various cross sections on the flow and heat transfer characteristics when the cross section area is fixed.     

Investigation of natural convection induced outer side heat transfer rate of coiled-tube heat exchangers

Natural convection induced heat transfer has been studied over the outer surface of helically coiled-tube heat exchangers. Several different geometrical configurations (curvature ratio δ ε [0.035, 0.082]) and a wide range of flow parameters (60 <= T_tank <= 90, T_in = 19 and 60 <= T_in <= 90, T_tank = 20, 4000 <= Re <= 45000) have been examined to broaden the validity of the results gained from this research. A fluid-to-fluid boundary condition has been applied in the numerical calculations to create the most realistic flow configurations. Validity of the numerical calculations has been tested by experiments available in the open literature. Calculated results of the inner side heat transfer rate have also been compared to existing empirical formulas and experimental results to test the validity of the numerical computation in an independent way from the outer side validation of common helical tube heat exchangers. Water has been chosen to the working fluid inside and outside of the coiled tube (3 < Pr < 7). Outer side heat transfer rate along the helical tube axis has been investigated to get information about the performance of the heat transport process at different location of the helical tube. It was found that the outer side heat transfer rate is slightly dependent on the inner flow rate of any helical tube in case of increasing temperature differences between the tank working fluid temperature and the coil inlet temperature. A stable thermal boundary layer has been found along the axial direction of the tube.In addition to this the qualitative behavior of the peripherally averaged Nusselt number versus the axial location along the helical tube function is strongly dependent on the direction of the heat flow (from the tube to the storage tank and the reversed direction). Inner side heat transfer rate of helical coils have also been investigated in case of fluid-to-fluid boundary conditions and the calculation results have been compared with different prediction formulas published in the last couples of decades.     

Unsteady conjugate mixed convection phase change of a power law non-Newtonian fluid in a square cavity

Transient phase change of a power law non-Newtonian fluid inside an inner thin walled container caused by external mixed convection in a square cavity has been analyzed numerically. Air was chosen as external cooling fluid and modified non-Newtonian water as the phase change fluid. Fluid mechanics and conjugate convective heat transfer, described in terms of continuity, linear momentum and energy equations, were predicted by using the finite volume method. Solidification was treated in terms of a phase change function varying linearly with temperature. The effect of the external Reynolds number, for Re = 200 and 1000 on solidification was studied along the influence of the non-Newtonian power law index (n = 0.5, n = 1.0). Results for the time evolution of streamlines, isotherms and freezing curves are analyzed. The effect of the Reynolds number on streamlines of the external fluid is remarkable, principally near the region close to the internal water filled container. Differences between cooling and freezing times are found for Newtonian (n = 1.0) and non-Newtonian modified (n = 0.5) water.     

Experimental investigation of heat transfer coefficient and friction factor of ethylene glycol water based TiO2 nanofluid in double pipe heat exchanger with and without helical coil inserts

Heat transfer coefficient and friction factor of TiO₂ nanofluid flowing in a double pipe heat exchanger with and without helical coil inserts are studied experimentally. The experiments are conducted in the range of Reynolds number from 4000 to 15,000 and in the volume concentration range from 0.0004% to 0.02%. The base fluid is prepared by considering 40% of ethylene glycol and 60% of distilled water. The heat transfer coefficient and friction factor get enhanced by 10.73% and 8.73% for 0.02% volume concentration of nanofluid when compared to base fluid flowing in a tube. Heat transfer coefficient and friction factor further get enhanced by 13.85% and 10.69% respectively for 0.02% nanofluid when compared to base fluid flowing in a tube with helical coil insert of P/d = 2.5. The measured values of heat transfer coefficient and friction factor are compared with the published literature. Based on the experimental data, generalized correlations are proposed for Nusselt number and friction factor. The results are presented in graphical and tabular form. Uncertainty analysis is also carried out and the experimental error is in the range of ± 10%.     

Heat transfer and pressure drop in a spirally grooved tube with twisted tape insert

In this paper, experimentally determined pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics of flow of water in a 75-start spirally grooved tube with twisted tape insert are presented. Laminar to fully turbulent ranges of Reynolds numbers have been considered. The grooves are clockwise with respect to the direction of flow. Compared to smooth tube, the heat transfer enhancement due to spiral grooves is further augmented by inserting twisted tapes having twist ratios Y ? 10.15, 7.95 and 3.4. It is found that the direction of twist (clockwise and anticlockwise) influences the thermo-hydraulic characteristics. Constant pumping power comparisons with smooth tube characteristics show that in spirally grooved tube with and without twisted tape, heat transfer increases considerably in laminar and moderately in turbulent range of Reynolds numbers. However, for the bare spiral tube and for spiral tube with anticlockwise twisted tape (Y = 10.15), reduction in heat transfer is noticed over a transition range of Reynolds numbers.     

Numerical prediction of flow and heat transfer of power-law fluids in a plane channel with a built-in heated square cylinder

Structure of unsteady laminar flow and heat transfer of power-law fluids in two-dimensional horizontal plane channel with a built-in heated square cylinder is studied numerically. The governing equations are solved using a control volume finite element method (CVFEM) adapted to the staggered grid. Computations are performed over a range of Reynolds and Richardson numbers from Re = 20 to 200 and from Ri = 0 to 8, respectively at fixed Prandtl number Pr = 50 and blockage ratio value β′ = 1/8. Three different values of the power-law index (n = 0.5, 1 and 1.4) are considered in this study to show its effect on the value of the critical Reynolds number defining the transition between two different flow regimes (symmetrical and periodic flows), the variations of Strouhal number, drag and lift coefficients and the heat transfer from the square cylinder as function of Reynolds number. Heat transfer correlations are obtained through forced convection. A discussion about the buoyancy effect on the flow pattern and the heat transfer for different power-law index is also presented.     

Experimental study of heat transfer enhancement with wire coil inserts in laminar-transition-turbulent regimes at different Prandtl numbers

Helical-wire-coils fitted inside a round tube have been experimentally studied in order to characterize their thermohydraulic behaviour in laminar, transition and turbulent flow. By using water and water–propylene glycol mixtures at different temperatures, a wide range of flow conditions have been covered: Reynolds numbers from 80 to 90,000 and Prandtl numbers from 2.8 to 150. Six wire coils were tested within a geometrical range of helical pitch 1.17 < p/d < 2.68 and wire diameter 0.07 < e/d < 0.10. Experimental correlations of Fanning friction factor and Nusselt number as functions of flow and dimensionless geometric parameters have been proposed. Results have shown that in turbulent flow wire coils increase pressure drop up to nine times and heat transfer up to four times compared to the empty smooth tube. At low Reynolds numbers, wire coils behave as a smooth tube but accelerate transition to critical Reynolds numbers down to 700. Within the transition region, if wire coils are fitted inside a smooth tube heat exchanger, heat transfer rate can be increased up to 200% keeping pumping power constant. Wire coil inserts offer their best performance within the transition region where they show a considerable advantage over other enhancement techniques.     

Laminar natural convection of non-Newtonian power-law fluids between concentric circular cylinders

The two-dimensional steady-state natural convection of power-law fluids is studied numerically between two concentric horizontal cylinders with different constant temperatures. The governing equations are discretized using finite volume technique based on second order upwind and are solved using the SIMPLE algorithm. The effects of Rayleigh number (10³ ≤ Ra ≤ 10⁵) and Prandtl number (10 ≤ Pr ≤ 10³) on the dimensionless velocity and temperature are investigated for both pseudoplastic and dilatant fluids. Also the mean Nusselt number for various values of governing parameters is obtained and discussed. The results indicate that with increasing the power-law index from 0.6 to 1.4, the mean Nusselt number decreases. In the best case among the range of parameters considered here the heat transfer rate for pseudo-plastic fluid (n = 0.6) is 170% higher than the Newtonian one and for dilatant fluid (n = 1.4) the heat transfer rate is 43% lower than the Newtonian fluid. So the pseudoplastic and dilatant fluids are more efficient than Newtonian fluids for cooling and insulating purposes, respectively. It is shown that as the Rayleigh number increases the cooling effect of pseudoplastic fluid and the insulating effect of dilatant fluid become more pronounced.     

Experimental investigation of fluid flow and heat transfer in a single-phase liquid flow micro-heat exchanger

This work presents an experimental analysis of the hydrodynamic and thermal performance of micro-heat exchangers. Two micro-heat exchangers, characterized by microchannels of 100 × 100 and 200 × 200 μm square cross-sections, were designed for that purpose. The fluid used was deionized water and there was no phase change along the fluid circuit. The fluid pressure drop along the heat exchanger and the heat transfer were measured and corrections were made to isolate the contribution of the microchannels. The results were compared with the predictions of the classical viscous flow and heat transfer theory. The main conclusions show that the experimental results fit well with these theories. No effects of heat transfer enhancement or pressure drop increase were observed as a consequence of the small scale of the microchannels.     

Experimental thermal–hydraulic evaluation of constructal microfluidic structures under fully constrained conditions

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the relative hydrodynamic and thermal performance of microfluidic, constructal-based, self-similar bifurcated flow channel arrangements with branching angles of 90°. The complexity of the microchannel arrangement was varied from zero to three bifurcation levels while the heat transfer area was held constant for all complexity levels. Constraining the area facilitates comparison of the thermal performance of test sections of different complexities. Each of the channel arrangements considered was incorporated into an independent, modular test section, which had overall dimensions of 10 mm by 10 mm. Using soft lithography and other standard microfabrication techniques, each test section was fabricated and assembled from a silicon heat transfer layer and two polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layers which were stacked and bonded to form a monolithic test section. For the testing, an experimental apparatus was designed that allowed for experiments to be run at fixed pressure drops. Experiments were performed for single fixed inlet fluid and heater temperatures and at various pressure drops. The results, which are reported in terms of mass flow rate, heat transfer rate, pumping power, and overall test section coefficient of performance (COP), indicate that complexity has a strong effect on both the pressure drop and heat transfer. When the pumping power required to produce a given heat transfer rate is taken into account, the results suggest that higher complexity arrangements can be beneficial under certain conditions, as theoretically shown in the literature. This conclusion is also confirmed by the trends observed in the COP.     

In-tube passive heat transfer enhancement in the process industry

Enhanced heat transfer surfaces are used in heat exchangers to improve performance and to decrease system volume and cost. In-tube heat transfer enhancement usually takes the form of either micro-fin tubes (of the helical micro-fin or herringbone varieties), or of helical wire inserts. Despite a substantial increase in heat transfer, these devices also cause non-negligible pressure drops.By making use of well-proven flow pattern maps for smooth tubes and the new ones for smooth and enhanced tubes, it is shown from the refrigerant condensation data that flow patterns have a strong influence on heat transfer and pressure drop. This is done for data obtained from in-tube condensation experiments for mass fluxes ranging from 300 to 800 kg/m² s at a saturation temperature of 40 °C, for refrigerants R-22, R-134a, and R-407C. The flow regimes, pressure drops, heat transfer coefficients, and the overall performance of three different tubes, namely a smooth-, 18° helical micro-fin-, and a herringbone micro-fin tube (each having a nominal diameter of 9.51 mm), are presented and compared to the performance of smooth tubes with helical wire inserts (with pitches of 5 mm, 7.77 mm and 11 mm corresponding to helical angles of 78.2°, 72°, and 65.3°, respectively).     

Experimental studies on heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of turbulent flow through a circular tube fitted with regularly spaced helical screw-tape inserts

Experimental investigation of heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of circular tube fitted with full-length helical screw element of different twist ratio, and helical screw inserts with spacer length 100, 200, 300, and 400 mm have been studied with uniform heat flux under turbulent flow condition. The experimental data obtained are verified with those obtained from plain tube published data. The effect of spacer length on heat transfer augmentation and friction factor, and the effect of twist ratio on heat transfer augmentation and friction factor have been presented separately. The decrease in Nusselt number for the helical twist with spacer length is within 10% for each subsequent 100 mm increase in spacer length. The friction factor for helical twist insert with spacer length 100 mm is very much close to value of friction factor for full-length helical twist for all Reynolds number and decreases by 5% for each 100 mm increment space length indicating that there is no much reduction in pumping power. Hence the helical screw inserts with spacer can only be used for heat augmentation only in turbulent flow with less reduction in pumping power. Empirical correlation were formed for explaining data and found to fit experimental data within ±10%, and ±20%, respectively, for Nusselt number and friction factor.     

Turbulent flow and heat transfer in discrete double inclined ribs tube

The turbulent heat transfer and flow resistance in an enhanced heat transfer tube, the DDIR tube, were studied experimentally and numerically. Water was used as the working fluid with Reynolds numbers between 15,000 and 60,000. The numerical simulations solved the three dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations with the standard k-ε model in the commercial CFD code, Fluent. The numerical results agree well with the experimental data, with the largest discrepancy of 10% for the Nusselt numbers and 15% for the friction factors. The heat transfer in the DDIR tube is enhanced 100 ～ 120% compared with a plain tube and the pressure drop is increased 170 ～ 250%. The heat transfer rate for the same pumping power is enhanced 30 ～ 50%. Visualization of the flow field shows that in addition to the front and rear vortices around the ribs, main vortices and induced vortices are also generated by the ribs in the DDIR tube. The rear vortex and the main vortex contribute much to the heat transfer enhancement in the DDIR tubes. Optimum DDIR tube parameters are proposed for heat transfer enhancement at the same pumping power.     

Steam condensing – liquid CO2 boiling heat transfer in a steam condenser for a new heat recovery system

In a new waste heat recovery system, waste heat is recovered from steam condensers through cooling by liquid CO₂ instead of seawater, taking advantage of effective boiling heat transfer performance; the heat is subsequently used for local heat supply. The steam condensing – liquid CO₂ boiling heat transfer performance in a steam condenser with a shell and a helical coil non-fin tube was studied both numerically and experimentally. A heat transfer numerical model was constructed from two models developed for steam condensation and for liquid CO₂ boiling. Experiments were performed to verify the model at a steam pressure range of 3.2–5 kPa and a CO₂ saturation pressure range of 5–6 MPa. Overall heat transfer coefficients obtained from the numerical model agree with the experimental data within ±5%. The numerical estimations show that the boiling local heat transfer coefficient reaches a maximum value of 26 kW/m² K. This value is almost one order higher than that of a conventional water-cooled condenser.     

Condensation heat transfer and pressure drop of HFC-134a in a helically coiled concentric tube-in-tube heat exchanger

The two-phase heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of pure HFC-134a condensing inside a smooth helically coiled concentric tube-in-tube heat exchanger are experimentally investigated. The test section is a 5.786 m long helically coiled double tube with refrigerant flowing in the inner tube and cooling water flowing in the annulus. The inner tube is made from smooth copper tubing of 9.52 mm outer diameter and 8.3 mm inner diameter. The outer tube is made from smooth copper tubing of 23.2 mm outer diameter and 21.2 mm inner diameter. The heat exchanger is fabricated by bending a straight copper double-concentric tube into a helical coil of six turns. The diameter of coil is 305 mm. The pitch of coil is 35 mm. The test runs are done at average saturation condensing temperatures ranging between 40 and 50 °C. The mass fluxes are between 400 and 800 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ and the heat fluxes are between 5 and 10 kW m⁻². The pressure drop across the test section is directly measured by a differential pressure transducer. The quality of the refrigerant in the test section is calculated using the temperature and pressure obtained from the experiment. The average heat transfer coefficient of the refrigerant is determined by applying an energy balance based on the energy rejected from the test section. The effects of heat flux, mass flux and, condensation temperature on the heat transfer coefficients and pressure drop are also discussed. It is found that the percentage increase of the average heat transfer coefficient and the pressure drop of the helically coiled concentric tube-in-tube heat exchanger, compared with that of the straight tube-in-tube heat exchanger, are in the range of 33–53% and 29–46%, respectively. New correlations for the condensation heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop are proposed for practical applications.     

Flow boiling heat transfer characteristics of nitrogen in plain and wire coil inserted tubes

Boiling heat transfer characteristics of nitrogen were experimentally investigated in a stainless steel plain tube and wire coil inserted tubes. Wire coils having different coil pitches and wire thicknesses were inserted into a horizontally positioned plain tube, which had an inner diameter of 10.6 mm and a length of 1.65 m. The coil pitches were 18.4, 27.6, and 36.8 mm, and the wire thicknesses were 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 mm. Tests were conducted at a saturation temperature of −191 °C, mass fluxes from 58 to 105 kg/m² s, and heat fluxes from 22.5 to 32.7 kW/m². A direct heating method was used to apply heat to the test tube. The boiling heat transfer coefficients of nitrogen significantly decreased when the dryout occurred. Enhancement performance ratio (EPR), which is the ratio of heat transfer enhancement factor to pressure drop ratio, was used to evaluate the performance of the wire coil inserts. The maximum heat transfer enhancement of the wire coil inserted tubes over the plain tube was 174% with wire 3 having a twist ratio (p/D_w) of 1.84 and a thickness ratio (t/D_w) of 0.25. Wire 3-inserted tube showed the highest EPR among the tested tubes in this study.