Effect of outline curvature degree on heat transfer and flow characteristics inside dimpled tubes and spirally grooved tubes

The flow behaviors and heat transfer characteristics have been studied inside the dimpled tubes and spirally grooved tubes with different curvature degrees, which is considered for the first time within the influence factors. A three-dimensional numerical simulation by periodic boundary conditions is performed to model the fully developed flow of dimpled and grooved sections to acquire the finer mesh and more accurate results. In addition, the dimple and groove outlines with different curvature degrees are generated by polynomial functions. Effects of curvature degrees for dimpled tubes and spirally grooved tubes on flow, heat transfer, and comprehensive performances are discussed. The results indicate that the influence of curvature degrees for dimpled tubes exhibit an opposite behavior when compared with those for spirally grooved tubes. On the whole, all performance factors increase with the growing curvature degree for dimpled tubes but decrease with the increasing curvature degree for spirally grooved tubes. By comparing different curvature degrees, the maximum ranges of heat transfer enhancement are 1.50–2.22 and 2.54–2.82, respectively, for dimpled and grooved tubes with respect to Re. Thermal and hydraulic fields are considered to analyze the mechanism of heat transfer enhancement. The analysis shows that the way the dimple changes thermohydraulic properties differs from the way the groove changes the properties.