A Numerical Study of Flow and Heat Transfer in Internally Finned Rotating Curved Pipes

In this article, the effects of internal fins on an incompressible viscous flow and heat transfer inside rotating curved pipes are numerically studied under the hydrodynamically and thermally fully developed conditions. The fins are assumed to have negligible thickness with the same conditions as the pipe walls. Two thermal boundaries including constant wall temperature and constant heat flux are considered at the pipe wall. First the accuracy of the numerical code written by a finite-volume method based on the SIMPLE algorithm is verified by the available data for the finless rotating curved pipes. Then, the numerical results for the internally finned rotating pipes are investigated in both positive and negative rotation numbers affecting remarkably on the flow and temperature field patterns. Also, the Dean number (K_LC) effects on the friction factor, Nusselt number, and other nondimensional parameters are studied in detail. Analyzing the numerical results by the Colburn factor, two optimum fin heights consisting of the four-fifth of the pipe radius at the lower Dean numbers and one-third of the pipe radius at higher Dean numbers are determined in the curved rotating pipe with six internal fins.     

Analogy of forced convective heat transfer between developing laminar flows in curved pipes and orthogonally rotating pipes

Based on a quantitative analogy between developing laminar flows in curved pipes and orthogonally rotating straight pipes, a corresponding analogy of forced convective heat transfer in the entry regions of the pipes is described through similarity arguments and computational studies. Three‐dimensional developments of these flows are characterized by secondary flows due to the centrifugal or the Coriolis forces. Similarity considerations taking the secondary flow into account suggest a remarkable effect of the Prandtl number or the heat transfer structure, which is demonstrated by the computational results. When the curvature parameter of curved pipe flow and the Rossby number of rotating pipe flow are sufficiently large, it is shown that the development of the temperature fields and the Nusselt numbers of the two flows are similar when the governing parameters and the Prandtl numbers of the two flows are equal. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 29(6): 512–522, 2000     

Heat transfer analysis of stratified flow in rotating heat pipes with cylindrical and stepped walls

This paper deals with the flow behavior and the related heat transfer characteristics of stratified flow in axially rotating heat pipes with cylindrical and stepped wall configurations. Flow patterns are presented with existing experimental data of heat transfer in cylindrical and stepped wall rotating heat pipes. Theoretical and semi-empirical models for calculation of the condensation and evaporation heat transfer coefficients are developed. Key dimensionless numbers such as Froude, Galileo, G and ξ-number are identified. Existing experimental data from a rotating cylindrical heat pipe are analyzed and used for regression based on semi-empirical models. Good agreement between the predicted results and experimental data was obtained. Comparison between the present heat transfer models rotating cylindrical wall heat pipes and experimental data from a stepped wall heat pipe shows that the present models can be used to predict the condensation and evaporation heat transfer coefficients in a rotating stepped wall heat pipe.     

三维内肋螺旋管内强化换热实验

采用实验方法测试了三维内肋螺旋管内的流动传热性能。实验用的螺旋管曲率δ=0．0663,测试段长1．15m,试验工质为水。对螺旋光管和两种不同结构尺寸的三维内肋管进行了测试,测量的雷诺数范围约为Re=1000～8500。结果表明,三维内肋对螺旋管内的对流换热仍然有较大的强化效果,同时流阻也有一定程度的增加。与未加肋的螺旋光管相比,在测试的流动范围内,两种三维内肋管的平均换热强化比达1．71和2．03．热力性能系数为1．2～1．66。     

Comparative study on evaporator heat transfer characteristics of revolving heat pipes filled with R134a, R22 and R410A

Heat pipes are used extensively in various applications including the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The high thermal conductivity of the device, attributed from the two-phase heat transfer processes within the heat pipe, made them superior heat exchanger devices. Heat pipes had been widely used in HVAC applications in energy conservation, dehumidification enhancement, heat dissipation, etc. A number of researches have been conducted to expand the applicability of heat pipes in HVAC in Malaysia, especially in air-to-air heat recovery using stationary heat pipes. However, the potential usage of rotating heat pipe in heat recovery in tropical countries like Malaysia was yet to be explored. Hence, the potential of rotating heat pipe in the HVAC systems used in tropics was explored through a parametric study that incorporates rotational speeds, off-axis displacements and varied refrigerants. The rotating heat pipes charged with R134a, R22 and R410A were tested with varied radial displacement from the rotational axis. The straight and leveled heat pipe with the furthest radial displacement yields the most significant heat transfer, which was attributed to the magnitude of the generated centrifugal force, and effective distribution of liquid in the evaporator.     

Characteristics of forced convection heat transfer in vertical internally finned tube

This work presents a numerical investigation of a vertical internally finned tube subjected to forced convection heat transfer. The governing equations were solved numerically using the control volume technique. Nusselt number, Nu, and friction factor multiplied by Reynolds number, fRe, are influenced greatly by the height and number of the radial fins. The velocity and temperature distributions inside the tube depend on the number and height of the radial fins. This paper suggests that for best heat transfer to be achieved there is an optimum combination of fin numbers and height.     

new products and services

In this study, fully developed laminar flow and convective heat transfer in an internally finned tube heat exchanger are investigated numerically. The flow is assumed to be both hydrodynamically and thermally developed with uniform outside wall temperature. Parameters of the thickness, length, and number of fins and thermal conductivity ratio between fin and working fluid are varied to obtain the friction factor as well as Nusselt number. The results show that the heat transfer improves significantly if more fins are used; however, the pressure drop turns out to be large in this heat exchanger. In addition, it is found that the emergence of closed-loop isotherms between the areas of two neighboring fins leads to heat transfer enhancement in the internally finned tube. When the fin number is smaller than 14, there appears a maximum Nusselt number at about 0.8 of the dimensionless fin length. Finally, an experiment is conducted to verify the numerical results.     

ANALYSIS OF COMBINED NATURAL AND FORCED CONVECTION IN VERTICAL SEMICIRCULAR DUCTS WITH RADIAL INTERNAL FINS

A numerical analysis of combined natural and forced convection is conducted for the fully developed laminar flow and heat transfer in a vertical semicircular duct with radial, internal longitudinal fins. Accurate solutions for heating upward flow are obtained by the finite difference method based on a fine grid, while the hydraulic and thermal conditions of the fins are ascertained. The results represent a range of Rayleigh numbers and various values of fin lengths and number of fins. The fully developed f Re and Nu values for pure forced convection in the finned semicircular duct are also documented. It is found that both the friction factor and the Nusselt number in the finned tube increase as the Rayleigh number increases. The effect of buoyancy is significant in semicircular ducts with short fins. By comparing the results of finless ducts with those of finned ducts, it was concluded that heat transfer in combined natural and forced convection in the semicircular duct is dramatically enhanced by using radial internal fins.     

Theoretical and numerical analysis of convective heat transfer in the rotating helical pipes

In terms of the tensor analysis technique, the relative N-S equations and the energy equation in a rotating helical coordinate system are presented in this paper. Convective heat transfer in the rotating helical pipes with circular cross-section is investigated employing theoretical and numerical method. A perturbation solution up to the secondary order is obtained for a small Dean number. Variations of the temperature distribution with the force ratio (the ratio of the Coriolis force to the centrifugal force), the curvature and the torsion are discussed in detail. Present studies also show the natures of the Nusselt number, as well as the effects of the force ratio, the curvature, and the torsion. This study explores many new characteristics of convective heat transfer in the rotating helical pipes and covers wide ranges of parameters.     

Steam absorption process of water/LiBr system inside vertical small bore pipes

In a previous paper, a numerical model for absorption within vertical pipes was proposed and compared with the experiments. Agreements were good for pipes with an OD 28–15 mm but at 10 mm pipe experiments fell below the predicted values. For smaller diameters, the difference between the surface area of the falling liquid film and that of the outer surface of the pipe is not negligible and the thickness of the liquid film is also not negligible. In this paper a new model is formulated in cylindrical coordinates and experiments using pipes with 9.52 mm and 7 mm OD are done. Smooth pipes and two kinds of internally finned pipes, originally developed and used to enhance the heat transfer characteristics of the evaporator and condenser of a refrigerator using HFC as refrigerant, are tested in the experiments. The absorption performance is enhanced by 30% when compared to the smooth pipes, but the difference between the finned pipes is small. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 34(1): 18–28, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20040     

Performance enhancement of high temperature latent heat thermal storage systems using heat pipes with and without fins for concentrating solar thermal power plants

A key drawback of using latent heat thermal storage systems for concentrating solar thermal power plants is the low thermal conductivity of the phase change material during the melting and solidification processes. This paper investigates an approach for reducing the thermal resistance by utilising axially finned heat pipes. A numerical model simulating the phase change material melting and solidification processes has been developed. This paper also includes the models of the evaporation and condensation of the heat pipe working fluid. The results show that by adding four axial fins and including the evaporation and condensation, the overall thermal performance of the storage system is enhanced significantly compared to having bare heat pipes. After 3 h a total of 106% increase in energy storage is obtained during the charging process. The results also show that the combined effect of incorporating the evaporation/condensation process and adding the fins leads to a threefold increase in the heat storage during the first 3 h. During the discharge process, there was a 79% increase in energy discharged and also the combined effect of incorporating the evaporation/condensation as well as adding the fins results in an almost four fold increase in the heat extracted within the first 3 h. A parametric analysis has also been carried out to analyse the effect of the finned heat pipe parameters after incorporating evaporation and condensation of the heat pipe working fluid.     

径向错列翅片管内凝结对流换热数值模拟分析

采用数值模拟方法,对径向错列翅片管内含不凝结气体水蒸气的凝结对流换热及阻力特性进行了综合分析。将编写的自定义函数(UDF)导入ANSYS FLUENT软件,对新型强化管传热性能和阻力性能进行了数值模拟,并根据管长方向壁面上蒸汽质量分数的变化情况,讨论分析了凝结过程中翅片管传热性能的变化规律。分析结果表明:与光管相比,内翅片管的强化传热效果随翅数增多、翅片换热接触面积增大而更加显著;另一方面,翅片管的流动阻力相应增大,对管路换热产生不良影响。在所研究翅型范围内16翅y=2x~2型翅片管综合强化换热效果更优;此外随着换热过程的持续,蒸汽凝结逐渐放缓;入口速度增大导致水蒸气凝结不充分,对换热效果的提升有一定制约。     

The correlation between the number of fins and the discharge time for a finned heat pipe latent heat storage system

The concept of a solar energy heat pipe latent heat storage system is presented. In order to assure large charging and discharging rates, finned heat pipes are used to transfer heat to and from the phase-change material (paraffin in this case). The evolution of the solid - liquid interface is studied by considering the radial heat transfer (due to the heat pipe wall) and the angular one (due to the fin). Two mathematical models, corresponding to exponential, respectively polynomial functions describing the fin temperature profile are presented and the results are compared. The two models allow the evaluation of the discharge time of the storage unit for a certain number of fins for a single heat pipe. When the discharge time has a fixed value, the methods presented in the paper allow to conclude whether the number of fins is sufficiently large to assure the complete solidification of the phase-change material.     

An experimental heat transfer study for periodically varying-curvature curved-pipe

Experiments were conducted for water flowing through a varying-curvature curved-pipe inside a larger diameter straight pipe to form a double-pipe heat exchanger with water as the working medium. The heat transfer coefficients were obtained using the Wilson plot method. The effects of the Dean, Prandtl, Reynolds number and the curvature ratio on the average heat transfer coefficients and the friction factors are presented. A higher Dean number results in a higher heat transfer rate. It is found that the heat transfer rate may be increased by up to 100%, as compared with a straight pipe, while the friction coefficient increased by less than 40%. Therefore, it is promising to use S-shaped pipes instead of straight pipes for the performance enhancement for a heat exchanger such as a solar collector.     

Enhancement of latent heat energy storage using embedded heat pipes

Latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) utilizing heat pipes or fins is investigated experimentally. Photographic observations, melting and solidification rates, and PCM energy storage quantities are reported. Heat pipe effectiveness is defined and used to quantify the relative performance of heat pipe-assisted and fin-assisted configurations to situations involving neither heat pipes nor fins. For the experimental conditions of this study, inclusion of heat pipes increases PCM melting rates by approximately 60%, while the fins are not as effective. During solidification, the heat pipe-assisted configuration transfers approximately twice the energy between a heat transfer fluid and the PCM, relative to both the fin-assisted LHTES and the non-heat pipe, non-fin configurations.     

Experimental investigation on the heat transfer characteristics of axial rotating heat pipes

The heat transfer performance of axial rotating heat pipes was measured under steady state at rotational speeds up to 4000 RPM, or a maximum centrifugal acceleration of 170g, and heat transfer rates up to 0.7 kW. A cylindrical and an internally tapered heat pipe with water as the working fluid were tested with different fluid loadings that ranged from 5% to 30% of the total interior volume. The measurements were used to characterize the effects of rotational speed, working fluid loading, and heat pipe geometry on the heat transfer performance. The internal taper on the condenser was found to significantly increase the heat transfer rate compared to the cylindrical case. A comparison between the test results and predictions from previous models showed that natural convection in the liquid film at the heat pipe evaporator plays an important role in the heat transfer mechanism at high rotational speeds.     

Effect of lateral fin profiles on turbulent flow and heat transfer performance of internally finned tubes

Heat transfer performance of internally finned tubes with blocked core-tube was numerically investigated by the realizable k–ε turbulence model with wall function method using a commercial software FLUENT. Three kinds of lateral fin profiles, that is, S-shape, Z-shape and V-shape, were studied and compared. The corresponding correlations of Nusselt number and friction factor for different-shape internally finned tubes were obtained. The comprehensive performances of the studied tubes were compared under identical mass flow rate, identical pumping power and identical pressure drop conditions. It was found that tubes with S-shape fins and Z-shape fins were superior to that with V-shape fins, and moreover, tube with Z-shape fins had the best performance. The fin outer curvature radius R near the inner surface of out-tube for the S-shape finned tube had appreciable effect on heat transfer, whereas the fin inner curvature radius r near the outer surface of blocked core-tube had little impact on heat transfer. Hence, when manufacturing the internally finned tube with S-shape fins, it is better to select the outer curvature radius R as smaller as possible.     

Pressure of Newtonian fluid flow through curved pipes and elbows

Under conditions of high temperature and high pressure, the non-uniformity of pressure loads has intensified the stress concentration which impacts the safety of curved pipes and elbows. This paper focuses on the pressure distribution and flow characteristic in a curved 90 o bend pipe with circular cross-sections, which are widely used in industrial applications. These flow and pressure characteristics in curved bend pipes have been researched by employing numerical simulation and theoretical analysis. Based on the dimensionless analysis method a formula for the pressure of Newtonian fluid flow through the elbow pipes is deduced. Also the pressure distributions of several elbows with different curvature ratio R/D are obtained by numerical methods. The influence of these non-dimensional parameters such as non-dimensional curvature ratio, Reynolds number and non-dimensional axial angle α and circumferential angle β on the pressure distribution in elbow pipes is discussed in detail. A number of important results have been achieved. This paper provides theoretical and numerical methods to understand the mechanical property of fluid flow in elbow pipes, to analyze the stress and to design the wall thickness of elbow pipes.     

Studying the effect of the force convection boundary condition and radius magnetic field on fluid flow and heat transfer between coaxial pipes

An investigation of the heat transfer of Newtonian fluid flow through coaxial two pipes with variable radius ratio has been conducted with the boundary conditions of forced convection on the inner pipe walls and a radius magnetic field. This paper presents an exact analytical solution to the momentum equation and a novel semi-analytic collocation method for solving the full-term energy equation that takes Joule heating into account as well as viscous dissipation. Based on the results of the numerical fourth-order Runge–Kutta method, it was found that increasing the magnetic parameter decreased the amount of friction on the surface of the pipe walls and the rate of heat transfer. As the radius ratio of the two pipes increases, so does the skin friction and heat transfer rate on the internal pipe walls. As Eckert (Ec) and Prandtl (Pr) numbers increase, the mean temperature as well as the dimensionless temperature between the two pipes increases. The increase in Biot number (Bi) has the opposite impact on the mean temperature. As Ec, Pr, and Bi increase, so does the rate of heat transfer on the inner wall of the pipe.     

Enhancement of hydrogen charging in metal hydride-based storage systems using heat pipe

Heat transfer in metal hydride bed significantly affects the performance of metal hydride reactors (MHRs). Enhancing heat transfer within the reaction bed improves the hydriding rate. This study presents performance analysis in terms of storage capacity and time of three different cylindrical MHR configurations using storage media LaNi₅: a) reactor cooled with natural convection, b) reactor with a heat pipe on the central axis, c) reactor with finned heat pipe. This study shows the impact of using heat pipes and fins for enhancing heat transfer in MHRs at varying hydrogen supply pressures (2–15 bar). At any absorption temperature, hydrogen absorption rate and hydrogen storage capacity increase with the supply pressure. Results show that using a heat pipe improves hydrogen absorption rate. It was found that finned heat pipe has a significant effect on the hydrogen charge time, which reduced by approximately 75% at 10 bar hydrogen supply pressure.