Experimental investigation of shell and coiled tube heat exchangers using wilson plots

In this work, an experimental investigation was performed to study the shell and helically coiled tube heat exchangers. Three heat exchangers with different coil pitches and curvature ratios were tested for both parallel-flow and counter-flow configurations. All the required parameters like inlet and outlet temperatures of tube-side and shell-side fluids, flow rate of fluids, etc. were measured using appropriate instruments. Overall heat transfer coefficients of the heat exchangers were calculated using Wilson plots. Heat transfer coefficients of shell and tube sides were evaluated invoking the calculated overall heat transfer coefficients. The inner Nusselt numbers were compared to the values existed in open literature. Though the boundary conditions were different, a reasonable agreement was observed.     

Thermal and hydraulic characteristics of nanofluid flow in a helically coiled tube heat exchanger

The effects of using different geometrical parameters with the combination of nanofluid on heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics in a helically coiled tube heat exchanger (HCTHE) are numerically investigated. A CuO nanoparticle with a diameter of 25 nm dispersed in water with a particle concentration of 4% was used as the working fluid. The three dimensional governing equations (continuity, momentum and energy) along with the boundary conditions are solved using the finite volume method (FVM). The mass flow rate of water in the annulus was kept constant and the nanofluid flow rate in the inner tube was varied. The effect of flow configuration (parallel and counter) was also examined in this study. The performance of the HCTHE was evaluated in terms of Nusselt number, heat transfer rate, pressure drop, effectiveness and performance index. The results reveal that certain geometrical parameters such as the helix radius and inner tube diameter do affect the performance of the HCTHE under laminar flow conditions. It is also found that counter-flow configuration produced better results as compared to parallel-flow configuration.     

Experimental study on the heat transfer enhancement of MWNT-water nanofluid in a shell and tube heat exchanger

Heat transfer enhancement of multi-walled carbon natube(MWNT)/water nanofluid in a horizontal shell and tube heat exchanger has been studied experimentally. Carbon nanotubes were synthesized by the use of catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) method over Co–Mo/MgO nanocatalyst. Obtained MWNTs were purified using a three stage method. COOH functional groups were inserted for making the nanotubes hydrophilic and increasing the stability of the nanofluid. The results indicate that heat transfer enhances in the presence of multi-walled nanotubes in comparison with the base fluid.     

Use of C-factor for monitoring of fouling in a shell and tube heat exchanger

Heat exchangers operating in process industries are fouled during operations and results in decrease in the thermal efficiency of a heat exchanger. Once the thermal efficiency decreases to a minimum acceptable level, cleaning of the equipment becomes necessary to restore the performance. This paper uses C-factor as a tool for investigation of the performance of a heat exchanger due to fouling which consequently gives information regarding the extent of fouling developed on the heat transfer surfaces. The fouling parameters are predicted by measurements of flow rate and pressure drop. In contrast to most conventional methods, the extent of fouling can be detected considering the flow rate and pressure drop when the heat exchanger operates in transient states. The C-Factor is first calculated through out cleaning period and then compared with the clean and the design value. The results show that the proposed tool is very effective in detecting the fouling developed and the corresponding degradation in heat transfer efficiency of a heat exchanger. Hence the results of this work can find applications in predicting the reduction in heat transfer efficiency due to fouling in heat exchangers that are in operation and assist the exchanger operators to plan cleaning schedules.     

Turbulent heat transfer in a horizontal helically coiled tube

An experiment has been conducted in detail to study the turbulent heat transfer in horizontal helically coiled tubes over a wide range of experimental parameters. We found that the enhancement of heat transfer in the coils results from the effects of turbulent and secondary flows. With Reynolds number increasing to a high level, the contribution of the secondary flow becomes less to enhance heat transfer, and the average heat transfer coefficient of the coil is closer to that in straight tubes under the same conditions. The local heat transfer coefficients are not evenly distributed along both the tube axis and the periphery on the cross section. The local heat transfer coefficients on the outside are three or four times those on the inside, which is half of the average heat transfer. A correlation is proposed to describe the distribution of the heat transfer coefficients at a cross section. The average cross-section heat transfer coefficients are distributed along the tube axis. The average value at the outlet section should not be taken as the average heat transfer coefficient. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 28(5): 395–403, 1999     

Prediction of heat transfer and flow characteristics in helically coiled tubes using artificial neural networks

In this study, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models were developed to predict the heat transfer and friction factor in helically coiled tubes. The experiments were carried out with hot fluid in coiled tubes which placed in a cold bath. Coiled tubes with various curvature ratios and coil pitches (nine Layouts) were used. The output data of the ANNs were Nusselt number and friction factor. The validity of the method was evaluated through a test data set, which were not employed in the training stage of the network. Moreover, the performance of the ANN model for estimating the Nusselt number and friction factor in the coiled tubes was compared with the existing empirical correlations. The results of this comparison show that the ANN models have a superior performance in predicting Nusselt number and friction factor in the coiled tubes.     

氦气冲刷螺旋管束传热的数值研究

采用CFD软件对氦气冲刷螺旋管束的传热特性进行了数值模拟。计算时采用了轴对称简化模型;湍流模拟采用低Re k-ε模型。通过与实验数据对比,发现低Re模型比壁面函数法更适合计算冲刷管束类型的流动。计算结果表明,顺排管束前几层平均Nu高于叉排管束,而深层管平均Nu低于叉排管束;管列距离较大时排列方式对深层管的传热影响很小;管束与边界距离约为管束中心部分氦气流道宽度的一半时,各列传热管传热和氦气出口温度都较为均匀;管束横向位置发生偏移将导致管束内流动、传热出现不均匀。结果对于螺旋管蒸汽发生器设计具有参考意义。     

流动参数对双级螺旋套管换热器传热性能的数值分析

高效热泵系统性能研究一直是热泵空调领域普遍关注的热点问题,针对设计开发的双级套管串联式热泵系统。采用3D有限容积法和可实现的k-ε模型,数值分析入口流体温度、流动速度对换热系数以及内外管努塞尔数的影响规律。结果表明,降低入口水温或者增加入口制冷剂温度能够提高整体传热性能,Nui随着水和制冷剂流率的增加有所增加,而Nuo随着水流率的增加而增加,但随着制冷剂流率则增加而减小,Nui 和Nuo都随着水温的减小或制冷剂温度的增大而增大。     

Theoretical and experimental examination of air conditioner heat exchangers

Heat and mass transfer characteristics of finned-tube heat exchangers under dehumidifying and dry conditions are examined both theoretically and experimentally in the present study. Six types of heat exchangers were tested on an experimental facility. It was determined that there is less than 1 °C of outlet air temperature difference between computer program results and literature for water and R22 as a refrigerant. The outlet air specific humidity difference between them is less than 6.44% for water and 9% for R22. According to the experimental results, louvers on fin cause an increase of airside heat transfer coefficient of about 50% or 100%.     

Simple method for estimation of effectiveness in one tube pass and one shell pass counter-flow heat exchangers

In one tube pass and one shell pass counter-flow heat exchangers, when both streams change temperature by different amounts, the effectiveness is defined as the temperature change for the stream with lower capacity divided by the maximum possible change and the effectiveness depends on the number of transfer units and the thermal capacity ratio. In this paper, an attempt has been made to formulate a simple-to-use method which is easier than existing approaches, less complicated and with fewer computations for accurate and rapid estimation of effectiveness in one tube pass and one shell pass counter-flow heat exchangers as a function of number of transfer units and the thermal capacity ratio. The proposed method permits estimating the exit temperature for a one tube pass and one shell pass counter-flow heat exchanger without a trial-and-error calculation. The average absolute deviations between the reported data and the proposed correlations are found to be less than 2% demonstrating the excellent performance of proposed correlation. The tool developed in this study can be of immense practical value for engineers and scientists to have a quick check on the effectiveness in one tube pass and one shell pass counter-flow heat exchangers at various conditions without opting for any experimental measurements. In particular, practice engineers would find the predictive tool to be user-friendly with transparent calculations involving no complex expressions.     

Experimental study on heat and mass transfer characteristics of louvered fin-tube heat exchangers under wet condition

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the effect of a tube row, a fin pitch and an inlet humidity on air-side heat and mass transfer performance of louvered fin-tube heat exchangers under wet condition. Experimental conditions were varied by three fin pitches, two rows, and two inlet relative humidities. From the experimental results, it was found that the heat transfer performance decreased and the friction increased with the decrease of a fin pitch, for 2 row heat exchanger. The effect of a fin pitch on heat transfer performance was negligible with 3 row heat exchanger. The change in a relative humidity was not affected heat transfer and friction. However, the mass transfer performance was slightly decreased with the increase of a relative humidity and with the decrease of a fin pitch. The mass transfer performance decreased with the decrease of a fin pitch. The mass transfer performance of the louvered fin-and-tube heat exchanger was different according to the number of a tube row.     

Turbulent heat transfer enhancement in a heat exchanger using helically corrugated tube

The augmentation of convective heat transfer in a single-phase turbulent flow by using helically corrugated tubes has been experimentally investigated. Effects of pitch-to-diameter ratio (P/D_H = 0.18, 0.22 and 0.27) and rib-height to diameter ratio (e/D_H = 0.02, 0.04 and 0.06) of helically corrugated tubes on the heat transfer enhancement, isothermal friction and thermal performance factor in a concentric tube heat exchanger are examined. The experiments were conducted over a wide range of turbulent fluid flow of Reynolds number from 5500 to 60,000 by employing water as the test fluid. Experimental results show that the heat transfer and thermal performance of the corrugated tube are considerably increased compared to those of the smooth tube. The mean increase in heat transfer rate is between 123% and 232% at the test range, depending on the rib height/pitch ratios and Reynolds number while the maximum thermal performance is found to be about 2.3 for using the corrugated tube with P/D_H = 0.27 and e/D_H = 0.06 at low Reynolds number. Also, the pressure loss result reveals that the average friction factor of the corrugated tube is in a range between 1.46 and 1.93 times over the smooth tube. In addition, correlations of the Nusselt number, friction factor and thermal performance factor in terms of pitch ratio (P/D_H), rib-height ratio (e/D_H), Reynolds number (Re), and Prandtl number (Pr) for the corrugated tube are determined, based on the curve fitting of the experimental data.     

Experimental investigation of heat transfer in a triple tube heat exchanger with coiled spring inserts

Experiments have been performed to investigate the effect of coiled spring inserts on heat transfer, pressure drop, and performance parameters of a triple tube heat exchanger (TTHX). Three different spring inserts having a pitch of 5, 10, and 15 mm are used and the diameter of the spring wire is taken as 1 mm. The experiments were carried out under a turbulent flow regime, with water as a working medium in parallel and counter flow configurations. The variation in different performance characteristics like heat transfer coefficient, Nusselt number, and effectiveness have been compared at various Reynolds numbers ranging between 4000 and 16,000 in the considered flow patterns. The Nusselt number of TTHX with the lowest pitch spring is found to be higher than that of the plain TTHX by 57.27% at Re = 4000 for the counter flow configuration. Both the thermal performance factor and effectiveness increased as the pitch of the spring insert was decreased. The effectiveness of TTHX with the lowest pitch spring insert is found higher than that of the plain TTHX by 43.84% in the counter flow pattern.     

Heat transfer characteristics of in-ground heat exchangers

Most in-ground heat storage installations use a system of horizontal or vertical plastic pipes to carry heat exchanger fluid. In designing these systems it is generally assumed that the thermal effects of the plastic pipe can be neglected. This paper reports a laboratory study of the pattern of heat flow around fluid-carrying plastic pipe buried in clay soil. Heat flow measurements as well as estimated contact resistances are presented for a number of configurations. In addition, numerical model computations are given for steady-state, transient and cyclic behaviour of several configurations, and it is shown that substantially reduced heat flows are obtained when plastic pipe is used.     

Heat transfer and bubble characteristics in a fluidized bed with immersed horizontal tube bundle

The effect of gas velocity on the average and local heat transfer coefficients between a submerged horizontal tube (25.4 mm-OD) and a fluidized bed has been determined in a fluidized-bed-heat-exchanger (0.34×0.50×0.6 m-high) of silica sand particles. The heat transfer coefficients and the properties of bubble and emulsion phases were simultaneously measured at the same location around the tube circumference by thermocouples and an optical probe. The average heat transfer coefficient (h_avg) exhibits a maximum value with variation of gas velocity (U_g). The local heat transfer coefficient (h_i) exhibits maximum values at the side of the tube (0°). Bubble frequency (f_b) increases and the emulsion contacting time (t_e) decreases with increasing U_g. The h_i increases with increasing f_b and decreasing t_e. The f_b exhibits higher values and t_e is shorter at the bottom (under each side) than those at the top section of the tube. The t_e and bubble fraction (δ_b) have been correlated with Froude number. The predicted h_avg values of small particles based on the packet renewal model and the emulsion contacting characteristics around the tube well accord to the experimental data.     

管壳式换热器的换热管强化传热技术浅述

介绍了管壳式换热器的换热管强化传热技术,分析了各自的原理、优缺点及推荐的使用场合。采用节能技术的换热器不仅提高了能源的利用率,而且减少了金属材料的消耗,对化工行业提高经济效益具有重要意义。     

Heat transfer in ground heat exchangers with groundwater advection

In order to estimate the impact of groundwater flow on performance of geothermal heat exchangers in ground source heat pump systems, an equation of conduction–advection is established for heat transfer in porous media, and an analytical transient solution is obtained for a line heat source in an infinite medium by means of the Green function analysis. An explicit expression has also been derived of the mean temperature on circles around the heat source. Dimensionless criteria that dictate the process are summarized, and influence of the groundwater advection on the heat transfer is discussed accordingly. Computations show that water advection in the porous medium may alter significantly the conductive temperature distribution, result in lower temperature rises and lead to a steady condition eventually. The hydraulic and thermal properties of soils and rocks influencing the advection heat transfer are briefly summarized. The analytical solution has provided a theoretical basis and practical tool for design and performance simulation of the ground heat exchangers.     

Study on the heat transfer and flow characteristics in a spiral-coil tube

In the present study, numerical and experimental results of the heat transfer and flow characteristics of the horizontal spiral-coil tube are investigated. The spiral-coil tube is fabricated by bending a 8.00 mm diameter straight copper tube into a spiral-coil of five turns. The innermost and outermost diameters of the spiral-coil are 270.00 and 406.00 mm, respectively. Hot and cold water are used as working fluids. The k-ε standard two-equation turbulence model is applied to simulate the turbulent flow and heat transfer characteristics. The main governing equations are solved by a finite volume method with an unstructured nonuniform grid system. Experiments are performed to obtain the heat transfer and flow characteristics for verifying the numerical results. Reasonable agreement is obtained from the comparison between the results from the experiment and those obtained from the model. In addition, the Nusselt number and pressure drop per unit length obtained from the spiral-coil tube are 1.49 and 1.50 times higher than those from the straight tube, respectively.     

三维微肋螺旋管内R134a沸腾环状流区的传热与关联式

首次实验研究了制冷剂R134a在三维微肋螺旋管内流动沸腾环状流区的流动与传热性能。对流型的可视化观察发现：当质量流速大于100kg／(m^2s)时。螺旋管内才开始出现环状流。环状流的起始干度为0．3、0．4。在流型图上给出了环状流区与其它主要流型的分区。回归了实验环状流区的传热实验数据，得到的传热关联武计算值与实验值的平均绝对误差为9．1％。     

Twisted bundle heat exchangers performance evaluation by CFD (CJ12/5054)

Shell and tube heat exchanger with single twisted tube bundle in five different twist angles, are studied using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and compared to the conventional shell and tube heat exchanger with single segmental baffles. Effect of shell-side nozzles configurations on heat exchanger performance is studied as well. Heat transfer rate and pressure drop are the main issues investigated in the paper. The results show that, for the same shell-side flow rate, the heat transfer coefficient of heat exchanger with twisted tube bundle is lower than that of the heat exchanger with segmental baffles while shell-side pressure drop of the former is even much lower than that of the latter. The comparison of heat transfer rate per unit pressure drop versus shell-side mass flow rate shows that heat exchanger with twisted tube bundle in both cases of perpendicular and tangential shell-side nozzles, has significant performance advantages over the segmental baffled heat exchanger. Optimum bundle twist angles for such exchangers are found to be 65 and 55° for all shell side flow rates.