Experimental investigation on the airside performance of fin-and-tube heat exchangers having herringbone wave fins and proposal of a new heat transfer and pressure drop correlation

The heat transfer and friction characteristics of fin-and-tube heat exchangers having herringbone wave fins were experimentally investigated. Eighteen samples having different fin pitches (1.34 mm to 2.54 mm) and tube rows (one to four) were tested. For all the samples, the waffle depth and the corrugation angle of the fin was 1.14 mm and 11.7^o respectively. Results showed that the j factors were insensitive to fin pitch, while f factors increased as the fin pitch increased. As the number of tube rows increased, both the j and f factors decreased. However, the effect of tube row diminished as the Reynolds number increased, at least for j factors. Existing correlations failed to adequately predict the present data. A new correlation was developed based on existing data, which significantly improved the predictions of the present data.     

Wet gas pressure drop across orifice plate in horizontal pipes in the region of flow pattern transition

As a basis for measuring the mass flow rate of wet gas using differential pressure meters, predicting the pressure drop of a wet gas flowing through orifice plates is important; however, this has not yet been solved satisfactorily, although many studies have reported on that subject. In this study, the pressure drop of wet gas across sharp-edged orifice plates was experimentally investigated in the region of flow pattern transition using air and water as the two phases, and the prediction performance of the available pressure drop models was compared based on the experimental data. The results show that the homogenous flow models overestimate the pressure drop, whereas those models based on the separated flow model often present underestimations. The models reported for wet gas are also incapable of predicting the pressure drop in this region with acceptable accuracy. Through an analysis of the prediction deviations, it is found that the Froude number of the liquid phase has a significant influence on the pressure drop of the wet gas, besides the Froude number of the gas phase. Then, three new correlations that are based on the homogeneous flow, Chisholm model, and Murdock model, respectively, were proposed based on the experimental result.     

Analysis of conjugate heat transfer and turbulent flow in mechanical seals

A numerical investigation of conjugate heat transfer of turbulent flow within a mechanical seal chamber is presented. The computational model takes into account the heat generation at the contact interface between the rotating ring and the stationary ring, heat conduction into the rings, and heat convection into the surrounding fluid in the chamber. Correlations are developed for predicting the average heat transfer coefficient on the wetted outer surfaces of the seal rings assuming that the flow in the seal chamber is turbulent.     

Prediction of pressure drop in Venturi based on drift-flux model and boundary layer theory

Venturi, as the primary flow measurement sensor, is widely used in various industrial fields of oil and natural gas. Pressure drop of the Venturi is a crucial factor in the process design of exploitation and transportation of natural gas. Based on the drift-flux model and boundary layer theory, a pressure drop prediction model is established. Except for divergent section, a uniform void fraction model is established basing on drift-flux model. The thickness of boundary layer grows rapidly due to the existence of adverse pressure gradient in the divergent section, which results in an increase of the irrecoverable pressure drop. Considering the influence of slip between gas and liquid, weight coefficient is used to adjust the proportion of displacement thickness in the cross section of the Venturi. Compared to experiment, the theoretical model is applied to stratified wavy flow and annular mist flow. For different diameter, the relative deviations of experiment points are within ±15%.     

Experimental study on heat transfer characteristics of internal heat exchangers for CO2 system under cooling condition

This paper presents the heat transfer characteristics of the internal heat exchanger (IHX) for CO₂ heat pump system. The influence on the IHX length, the mass flow rate, the shape of IHX, the operating condition, and the oil concentration was investigated under a cooling condition. Four kinds of IHX with a coaxial type and a micro-channel type, a mass flow meter, a pump, and a measurement system. With increasing of the IHX length, the capacity, the effectiveness, and the pressure drop increased. For the mass flow rate, the capacity of micro-channel IHX are higher about 2 times than those of coaxial IHX. The pressure drop was larger at cold-side than at hot-side. In the transcritical CO₂ cycle, system performance is very sensitive to the IHX design. Design parameters are closely related with the capacity and the pressure drop of CO₂ heat pump system. Along the operating condition, the performance of CO₂ IHXs is different remarkably. For oil concentration 1, 3, 5%, the capacity decreases and the pressure drop increased, as compared with oil concentration 0%. This paper was recommended for publication in revised form by Associate Editor Yong Tae Kang Prof. Young-Chul Kwon received his B.S. degree in Precision Mechanical Engineering from Pusan National University, Korea, in 1989. He then received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from POSTECH, in 1991 and 1996, respectively. Dr. Kwon is currently a Professor at the Division of Mechanical Engineering at Sunmoon University in Chungnam, Korea. He serves as a chief of the Institute of Automation and Energy Technology. Dr. Kwon’s research interests include heat exchanger, CO₂ cycle, heat pump, and energy recovery ventilator for HVAC&R. Mr. Dae-Hoon Kim is currently Doctoral student at the Mechanical Engineering from Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea. His research topics include experimental and numerical of CO₂ heatpump system. He has conducted a study on the Analysis of Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Industry and Its Forecasting Supervising and Testing for Performance of Refrigerator, Freezer and Air-Conditioner. Prof. Jae-Heon Lee received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University, Korea, in 1971. He then received his M.S. and Ph. D. degree from Seoul National University in 1977 and 1980, respectively. Dr. Lee is currently a Professor at the school of Mechanical Engineering at Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea. Dr. Lee is currently a president at the Korea Institute research interests include simulation of thermal fluid and Plant engineering and construction. Dr. Jun-Young Choi received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Yonsei University, Republic of Korea, in 1989. He then received his M.S. and Ph. D. degrees from Yonsei University in 1991 and 1999, respectively. Dr. Choi is currently a chief researcher with the 18 years experience on the energy performance testing of HVAC/R product. He is now assigned to the Energy Technology Center at Basic Industry Division at Korea Testing Laboratory. He has been involved in the development of Design and Manufacturing Technology for Air-Conditioner E.E.R. and Performance Testing Equipment for Cooling and Heating System with Non-CFCs, and natural refrigerants. He has conducted a study on the Analysis of Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Industry and Its Forecasting Supervising and Testing for Performance of Refrigerator, Freezer and Air-Conditioner. Dr. Sang Jae Lee received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hanyang University, KOREA, in 2008. Dr. Lee is currently a Researcher at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology in Cheonan, Korea. Dr. Lee’s research interests CO₂ heatpump system, liquid desiccant air conditioning system and Micro heat exchanger.     

Evaporation heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of r-134a in the oblong shell and plate heat exchanger

The evaporation heat transfer coefficienthr and frictional pressure drop δp_f of refrigerant R-134a flowing in the oblong shell and plate heat exchanger were investigated experimentally in this study. Four vertical counterflow channels were formed in the oblong shell and plate heat exchanger by four plates of geometry with a corrugated sinusoid shape of a 45° chevron angle. Upflow of refrigerant R-134a boils in two channels receiving heat from downflow of hot water in other channels. The effects of the refrigerant mass flux, average heat flux, refrigerant saturation temperature and vapor quality of R- 134a were explored in detail. Similar to the case of a plate heat exchanger, even at a very low Reynolds number, the flow in the oblong shell and plate heat exchanger remains turbulent. The results indicate that the evaporation heat transfer coefficienthr and pressure drop Δp_f increase with the vapor quality. A rise in the refrigerant mass flux causes an increase in theh _r and Δp_f. But the effect of the average heat flux does not show significant effect on the h_r and Δp_f. Finally, at a higher saturation temperature, both theh _r and Δp_f are found to be lower. The empirical correlations are also provided for the measured heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop in terms of the Nusselt number and friction factor.     

Development of a device for the measurement of thermal and fluid flow properties of heat exchanger materials

As yet, no standard equipment exists for the measurement of heat transfer through porous materials, such as metal foams (metals with a high volume fraction of porosity). Most research in this area has been carried out using bespoke test rigs. Here the creation of a test rig specifically developed for the measurement of the heat transfer of metal foams is reported. This method has been applied to laboratory made samples processed by replication and examples of commercially available aluminium foams (Duocel and Corevo), and should be suitable for the testing of all materials with comparable permeability. As this equipment is new and unique, the design will be discussed in detail, along with the various tests that were performed to ensure reliability and consistency with other methods and published data.     

Effect of particle ingestion on the fouling reduction and heat transfer enhancement of a No-Distributor-Fluidized heat exchanger

To overcome the fouling problem that is common in heat exchangers for waste heat recovery, a new type of fluidized heat exchanger was devised and tested. Fluidized bed heat exchangers are considered to be a good candidate for waste heat recovery flue gases due to their demonstrated ability to avoid fouling or to clean out deposition on heat transfer surfaces, but have a major drawback with significant pressure losses. These pressure drops typically associated with the distributor plate, which is a key component in constructing any conventional fluidized bed system, limit the applicability of fluidized bed heat exchangers for use as an energy saving device. In a new design, however, dilute gassolid particulate is maintained without having a distributor plate. The main feature of this no-distributor-fluidized (NDF) heat exchanger is the self-cleaning action by ingested circulating particles at minimal additional pressure loss. In the present study, a multi riser NDF heat exchanger of 7,000 kcal/hr capacity was built to evaluate its heat transfer performance and fouling reduction characteristics. To experimentally simulate the fouled condition, fuel rich combustion gas with soot was introduced to the heat exchanger, then a cleaning test was performed by introducing glass bead particles (600μm) inside the gas passage of the heat exchanger unit. Through the present experimental study, the performance degradation due to fouling was successfully demonstrated and the cleaning role of particle circulation was identified. It was also demonstrated that small amounts of circulating particles contribute not only to the fouling reduction on the gas side, but also to the heat transfer enhancement. Experimental operation data for 50 hours including accelerated fouling are obtained to simulate the long-term behavior of the system.     

Performance of heat transfer and pressure drop in a spirally indented tube

In an effort to develop a heat transfer enhancement technique for low temperature applications such as utilization of LNG cold energy, an experiment was carried out to evaluate the heat transfer and the pressure drop performance for a spirally indented tube using ethylene-glycol and water solutions and pure water under horizontal single-phase conditions. The test tube diameter was 14.86 mm and the tube length was 5.38 m. Heat transfer coefficients and friction factors for both inner and outer surfaces of the test tube were calculated from measurements of temperatures, flowrates and pressure drops. Correlations of heat transfer coefficients in the spirally indented tube, which were applicable for laminar and turbulent regimes were proposed for inner, and outer surfaces. The correlations showed that heat transfer coefficients for the spirally indented tube were much higher than those for smooth tubes, increased by more than 8 times depending upon the Reynolds number. The correlations were compared with other correlations for various types of surface roughness. The effect of the Prandtl number on the heat transfer characteristics was discussed. The critical Reynolds number from the laminar flow to the turbulent flow inside the spirally indented tube was found to be around Re=1,000.     

Effects of axial temperature gradient on momentum and heat transfer with oscillating pressure and flow

Effects of axial temperature gradient on heat transfer, momentum transfer and energy conversion mechanisms within a closed cylinder-piston apparatus are analyzed. Assuming that the gas density change is small, the first-order and steady second-order solutions of continuity, momentum and energy equations are obtained. The solutions show that there exists a steady circulating flow and the magnitude of the steady axial velocity increases as the axial temperature gradient increases. There exists not only an oscillating component of heat flux between the gas and the wall, but also a steady component whose direction depends on axial temperature gradient. It is shown that heat is pumped from the wall near the piston to the wall near closed-end for negative axial temperature gradient. Heat transfer relation for both oscillating pressure and oscillating flow conditions is proposed.     

带亲水层波纹翅片管换热器析湿工况空气侧换热与压降关联式

为得到带亲水层波纹翅片的换热器在析湿工况下空气侧的换热和压降关联式,对7个带亲水层波纹翅片管换热器在23个工况下进行了试验研究。根据试验数据,运用多元线形回归方法拟合得到了带亲水层波纹翅片管换热器析湿工况下空气侧的换热和压降关联式。所拟合的换热和压降关联式平均误差分别为6.5%和9.1%,在±15%误差范围内分别能涵盖90.3%和79.2%的试验数据。将新开发的关联式与目前已有的4个换热与压降关联式进行了对比分析,结果表明新的关联式精度明显好于已有的关联式。     

The study on pressure oscillation and heat transfer characteristics of oscillating capillary tube heat pipe

In the present study, the characteristics of pressure oscillation and heat transfer performance in an oscillating capillary tube heat pipe were experimentally investigated with respect to the heat flux, the charging ratio of working fluid, and the inclination angle to the horizontal orientation. The experimental results showed that the frequency of pressure oscillation was between 0.1 Hz and 1.5 Hz at the charging ratio of 40 vol.%. The saturation pressure of working fluid in the oscillating capillary tube heat pipe increased as the heat flux was increased. Also, as the charging ratio of working fluid was increased, the amplitude of pressure oscillation increased. When the pressure waves were symmetric sinusoidal waves at the charging ratios of 40 vol.% and 60 vol.%, the heat transfer performance was improved. At the charging ratios of 20 vol.% and 80 vol.%, the waveforms of pressure oscillation were more complicated, and the heat transfer performance reduced. At the charging ratio of 40 vol.%, the heat transfer performance of the OCHP was at the best when the inclination angle was 90°. the pressure wave was a sinusoidal waveform, the pressure difference was at the least, the oscillation amplitude was at the least, and the frequency of pressure oscillation was the highest.     

Turbulent heat transfer of supercritical carbon dioxide in square cross-sectional duct flow

Numerical simulations are performed to develop a new heat transfer coefficient correlation applicable to the gas cooler design of a trans-critical carbon dioxide air-conditioner. Thermodynamic and transport properties of the supercritical gas cooling process change dramatically and significantly vary heat transfer coefficients to be much different from those of single or two phase flows. In the present study, the elliptic blending second moment turbulent closure precisely reflecting the effects of these thermo-physical property variations on the turbulent heat transfer is employed to model the Reynolds stresses and turbulent heat fluxes in the momentum and energy equations. Computational results related to the development of turbulent heat transfer during in-duct cooling of supercritical carbon dioxide were used to establish a new heat transfer coefficient correlation that would be widely applicable to a gas cooler design involving turbulent heat transfer of supercritical carbon dioxide in square cross-sectional duct flows. This paper was recommended for publication in revised form by Associate Editor Kyung-Soo Yang Seong Ho, Han received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kookmin University in 2003. He then went on to receive his M.S. degree from Korea University in 2005. He is currently in a Ph. D. course at Mechanical Engineering at Korea University in Seoul, Korea. His research interests are in the area of hydrogen energy, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell.     

Interfacial heat transfer coefficient between metal and die during high pressure die casting process of aluminum alloy

The present work focused on the determination of the interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) between metal and die during the high pressure die casting (HPDC) process. Experiments were carried out on an aluminum alloy, ADC12Z, using “step shape” casting—so-called because of its shape. The IHTC was successfully determined by solving one of the inverse heat problems using the nonlinear estimation method first used by Beck. The calculation results indicated that the IHTC immediately increased after liquid metal was brought into the cavity by the plunger and decreased as the solidification process of the liquid metal proceeded. The liquid metal eventually solidified completely, a condition when the IHTC tended to be stable. Casting thickness played an important role in affecting the IHTC between the metal and die not only in terms of its value but also in terms of its change tendency. Also, under the test conditions, different change tendencies of the metal solid fraction were found between castings with different thicknesses and the die. __________ Translated from Acta Metallurgica Sinica, 2007, 43(1): 103–106 [ 译自: 金属学报]     

Experimental research of single-hole and multi-hole orifice gas flow meters

As energy efficiency is becoming more important today due to limited energy resources as well as their rising prices and environment issues, it is crucial to have reliable measurement data of different fluids in production processes. Because of its simplicity, affordability and reliability, orifice flow meters are again becoming subject of numerous researches. Conventional single-hole orifice (SHO) flow meter has many advantages but also some disadvantages like higher pressure drop, slower pressure recovery, lower discharge coefficient etc. Some of these disadvantages can be overcame by multi-hole orifice (MHO) flow meter while still maintaining advantages of conventional SHO meter. Both SHO and MHO flow meters with same β ratios were experimentally tested and compared. Results showed better (lower) singular pressure loss coefficient and lower pressure drop in favour of the MHO flow meter. Experimental data indicates that MHO flow meter is superior to the conventional orifice flow meter, but further research is necessary to make the MHO a drop-in replacement for a SHO flow meter.     

Experiment and simulation study on cavitation flow in pressure relief valve at different hydraulic oil temperatures

Hydraulic oil is the “blood” of hydraulic system, its high temperature in low-pressure hydraulic system would promote the development of cavitation and cause severe erosion of pressure relief valve. The influence of high oil temperature on the distribution of pressure field, velocity field and vapor volume fraction are discussed experimentally and numerically. The results show that with the increasing oil temperature, the viscosity of the oil decreases, and the flow rate increases, resulting the decreasing pressure at the orifice. Higher oil temperature promotes the occurrence of cavitation in the pressure relief valve, wider low-pressure zone could be found and cavitation bubble developed more fully and towards the valve core head. When the oil temperature increases from 303 K to 353 K, the cavitation intensity rises more sharply, but the growth rate of cavitation intensity increases firstly and then decreases with the increasing input pressure. Furthermore, based on the field synergy theory, the flow resistance and energy dissipation under different oil temperatures are evaluated. Both of large viscous dissipation and effective viscosity coefficient are mainly concentrated at the orifice, which are all effected by the oil temperature, so as to the characteristics of cavitation flow. The average field synergy cosine angle and the average viscosity coefficient decreases gradually with the increasing oil temperature, while the average vapor volume fraction increases. The energy dissipation is reduced by 3.3 × 10⁷ (W m⁻³) while the hydraulic oil temperature increases from 303 K to 353 K. Appropriate hydraulic oil temperature could provide favourable working conditions for the pressure relief valve which is beneficial for extending the hydraulic system's service life.     

Numerical simulation of fluid flow and heat transfer in a plasma spray gun

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation for analyzing fluid flow patterns in a plasma spray gun is presented in this study. It is coupled with a heat transfer simulation of the plasma spray gun. Based on CFD and heat transfer theory, the numerical model of the nozzle in the plasma spray gun is developed, and the coupled simulation of the flow fluid and heat transfer is carried out with the semi-implicit method for pressure-linked equations (SIMPLE) method. Local turbulence, which will lead to appearance of a static-water region, is found at the front corner of the cooling channel in the nozzle. The locations insufficiently cooled are found in the wall near the heat source and in the gasket in the rear of the nozzle. Then, cooling processes with different parameters of cooling water are analyzed. The optimal velocity and direction of cooling water, which efficiently cool the nozzle and improve the service life of the plasma jet, are obtained .     

Significant progress in solution of nonlinear equations at displacement of structure and heat transfer extended surface by new AGM approach

In this paper, we aim to promote the capability of solving two complicated nonlinear differential equations: 1) Static analysis of the structure with variable cross section areas and materials with slope-deflection method; 2) the problem of one dimensional heat transfer with a logarithmic various surface A(x) and a logarithmic various heat generation G(x) with a simple and innovative approach entitled “Akbari-Ganji’s method” (AGM). Comparisons are made between AGM and numerical method, the results of which reveal that this method is very effective and simple and can be applied for other nonlinear problems. It is significant that there are some valuable advantages in this method and also most of the differential equations sets can be answered in this manner while in other methods there is no guarantee to obtain the good results up to now. Brief excellences of this method compared to other approaches are as follows: 1) Differential equations can be solved directly by this method; 2) without any dimensionless procedure, equation(s) can be solved; 3) it is not necessary to convert variables into new ones. According to the aforementioned assertions which are proved in this case study, the process of solving nonlinear equation(s) is very easy and convenient in comparison to other methods.     

螺旋槽管内传热及阻力特性的数值研究

为了深入分析螺旋槽管内传热及阻力特性,基于Fluent对16根具有不同结构参数的单头螺旋槽管进行了数值研究。分析了雷诺数Re、槽深e和螺距p对螺旋槽管内传热及阻力特性的影响,结果表明,在研究的雷诺数Re范围内(10000~45000),螺旋槽管的努塞尔数Nu是光管的1.34~2.01倍,且随Re的增加而增加;阻力系数f是光管的2.01~6.40倍,随Re的增加而减小;Nu和f随e的增加而增加,随p的增大而减小。通过回归分析,得到了螺旋槽管传热和阻力的准则关联式,供相关工程设计参考。     

Numerical simulation of fully developed flow and heat transfer characteristics in a curved tube with pulsating pressure gradient

Characteristics of fluid flow and convective heat transfer of a pulsating flow in a curved tube have been investigated numerically. The tube wall is assumed to be maintained at a uniform temperature peripherally in a fully developed pulsating flow region. The temperature and flow distributions over a cross-section of a curved tube with the associated velocity field need to be studied in detail. This problem is of particular interest in the design of Stirling engine heat exchangers and in understanding the blood flow in the aorta. The time-dependent, elliptic governing equations are solved, employing finite volume technique. The periodic steady state results are obtained for various governing dimensionless parameters, such as Womersley number, pulsation amplitude ration, curvature ratio and Reynolds number. The numerical results indicate that the phase difference between the pressure gradient and averaged axial velocity increases gradually up to π/2 as Womersley number increases. However, this phase difference is almost independent of the amplitude ratio of pulsation. It is also found that the secondary flow patterns are strongly affected by the curvature ratio and Reynolds number. These, in turn, give a strong influence on the convective heat transfer from the pipe wall to the pulsating flow. The results obtained lead to a better understanding of the underlying physical process and also provide input that may be used to design the relevant system. The numerical approach is discussed in detail, and the aspects that must be included for an accurate simulation are discussed.