Numerical investigations of laminar flow characteristics in helically finned pipes

The laminar flow in a helically finned pipe has been considered. The steady solutions have been obtained by numerical integration of the Navier-Stokes equations formulated in a cylindrical coordinate system. Three-dimensional fins have been embedded in the structured mesh as immersed boundaries. A helical fin generates a swirling flow which exhibits a helical symmetry. In the presence of a single fin, the circumferential velocity turned out to increase both with fin height and fin angle. The core region with high axial velocity is shifted away from the pipe axis. High levels of axial vorticity caused by the fin-induced swirl are observed in the vicinity of the tip of the fin whereas substantial vorticity of opposite sign is produced in the wall-layer near the suction side of the fin. In the presence of two fins with the same pitch, i.e., a double helix, the symmetry about a diametrical plane gave rise to a keyhole-shaped axial velocity distribution. The drag coefficient was increased by all the fin configurations considered when compared to regular pipe flow at the same Reynolds number.