Abstract
Turbulent Flow in closely spaced staggered tube bundles is numerically investigated using a finite-volume approach in general curvilinear coordinates. Attention if focused on the hydrodynamic and thermal effects of the longitudinal displacement of alternate tube rows. The computations used both standard and 2-layer k–ϵ turbulence models in conjunction with a streamwise periodic finite volume formulation. The computations are in excellent agreement with experimental data for the limiting case of flow and heat transfer in undisplaced tube banks. Furthermore, the results indicate increases in both pressure drop and heat transfer with an increase in displacement. The results of this study may serve as an aid in the design of shell and tube cross flow heat exchangers.