HEAT TRANSFER WITH PULSATING FLOW

This report concerns the frequency dependence of the heat transfer coefficient for water flowing in a tube. The investigation of this phenomenon was conducted in a double pipe heat exchanger in which the center stream was pulsed. The frequencies used ranged from 10 to 160 cycles per minute, and the average flow rates corresponded to a Reynolds number range of 3700 to 21,400.

The data obtained indicate that pulsing can increase the individual heat transfer coefficient by as much as a factor of 5 or more, with the greatest increase occurring when the average Reynolds number is in the range typically considered as corresponding to the transition from laminar to turbulent regimes in steady flow. The percentage increase in the heat transfer coefficient also appears to be a function only of a dimensionless group which represents the frequency divided by the flow reversal frequency