Optimal distribution of metal foam inserts in a double-pipe heat exchanger

Author(s):  
Hossein Arasteh ◽  
Mohammad Reza Salimpour ◽  
Mohammad Reza Tavakoli

PurposeIn the present research, a numerical investigation is carried out to study the fluid flow and heat transfer in a double-pipe, counter-flow heat exchanger exploiting metal foam inserts partially in both pipes. The purpose of this study is to achieve the optimal distribution of a fixed volume of metal foam throughout the pipes which provides the maximum heat transfer rate with the minimum pressure drop increase.Design/methodology/approachThe governing equations are solved using the finite volume method. The metal foams are divided into different number of parts and positioned at different locations. The number of metal foam parts, their placements and their volume ratios in each pipe are sought to reach the optimal conditions. The four-piece metal foam with optimized placement and partitioning volume ratios is selected as the best layout. The effects of the permeability of metal foam on the Nusselt number, the performance evaluation criteria (PEC) and the overall heat transfer coefficient are investigated.FindingsIt was observed that the heat transfer rate, the overall heat transfer coefficient and the effectiveness of the heat exchanger can be improved as high as 69, 124 and 9 per cent, respectively, while the highest value of PEC is 1.36.Practical implicationsPorous materials are widely used in thermo-fluid systems such as regenerators, heat sinks, solar collectors and heat exchangers.Originality/valueHaving less pressure drop than fully filled heat exchangers, partially filled heat exchangers with partitioned metal foams distributed optimally enhance heat transfer rate more economically.

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (02) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Sikindar Baba ◽  
◽  
Oddarapu Kalyani ◽  

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Tamayol ◽  
K. Hooman

Using a thermal resistance approach, forced convection heat transfer through metal foam heat exchangers is studied theoretically. The complex microstructure of metal foams is modeled as a matrix of interconnected solid ligaments forming simple cubic arrays of cylinders. The geometrical parameters are evaluated from existing correlations in the literature with the exception of ligament diameter which is calculated from a compact relationship offered in the present study. The proposed, simple but accurate, thermal resistance model considers: the conduction inside the solid ligaments, the interfacial convection heat transfer, and convection heat transfer to (or from) the solid bounding walls. The present model makes it possible to conduct a parametric study. Based on the generated results, it is observed that the heat transfer rate from the heated plate has a direct relationship with the foam pore per inch (PPI) and solidity. Furthermore, it is noted that increasing the height of the metal foam layer augments the overall heat transfer rate; however, the increment is not linear. Results obtained from the proposed model were successfully compared with experimental data found in the literature for rectangular and tubular metal foam heat exchangers.


SINERGI ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 51
Author(s):  
Sudiono Sudiono ◽  
Rita Sundari ◽  
Rini Anggraini

This preliminary investigation studied the effect of circular turbulator vortex generator on heat transfer rate and pressure drop in a circular channel countercurrent double pipe heat exchanger with water working fluid. Increasing the number of circular turbulator yielded increasing heat transfer rate and pressure drop. The problem generated when increased pressure drop occurred in relation to more energy consumption of the water pumping system. Therefore, optimization in circular turbulator number is necessary to minimize the pressure drop about distance length between circular turbulator, tube diameter and thickness, type of material and crystal lattice, as well as the geometrical shape of fluid passage (circular or square). This study applied PVC outer tube and copper alloy inner tube, as well as fiberglass circular turbulator. The optimum results showed that seven parts of circular turbulator increasing heat transfer rate by 30% and pressure drop by 80% compared to that passage in the absence of circular turbulator at cool water debit of 7 L/min.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1973 (1) ◽  
pp. 012113
Author(s):  
Zomorrod Ahmed Salman ◽  
Zena Khalefa Kadhim ◽  
Kamil Abdulhussein khalaf ◽  
Hassanein Ali Kamil

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bhattacharya ◽  
Roop L. Mahajan

Abstract In this paper, we present our recent experimental results on buoyancy induced convection in metal foams of different pore densities (corresponding to 5, 10, 20 and 40 pores per inch) and porosities (0.89–0.96). The results show that compared to a hot surface facing up, the heat transfer coefficients in these heat sinks are 5 to 6 times higher. However, when compared to commercially available heat sinks of similar dimensions, the enhancement is found to be marginal. The experimental results also show that for a given pore size, the heat transfer rate increases with porosity suggesting the dominant role played by conduction in enhancing heat transfer. On the other hand, if the porosity is held constant, the heat transfer rate is found to be lower at higher pore densities. This can be attributed to the higher permeability with the larger pores, which allows higher entrainment of air through the porous medium. An empirical correlation, developed for the estimation of Nusselt number in terms of Rayleigh and Darcy numbers, is found to be in good agreement with the experimental data with a maximum error of 10%. We also report our results on novel finned metal foam heat sinks© in natural convection. Experiments were conducted on aluminum foams of 90% porosity with 5 and 20 PPI (pores per inch) with one, two, and four aluminum fins inserted in the foam. All these heat sinks were fabricated in-house. The results show that the finned metal foam heat sinks© are superior in thermal performance compared to the normal metal foam and conventional finned heat sinks. The heat transfer increases with increase in the number of fins. However, the relative enhancement is found to decrease with each additional fin. The indication is that there exists an optimum number of fins beyond which the enhancement in heat transfer due to increased surface area is offset by the retarding effect of overlapping thermal boundary layers. Similar to normal metal foams, the 5 PPI samples are found to give higher values of the heat transfer coefficient compared to the 20 PPI samples due to higher permeability of the porous medium. Future work is planned to arrive at the optimal heat sink configuration for even larger enhancement in heat transfer.


Author(s):  
Ahmad Fakheri

In this paper, it is shown that the Arithmetic Mean Temperature Difference, which is the difference between the average temperatures of hot and cold fluids, can be used instead of the Log Mean Temperature Difference (LMTD) in heat exchanger analysis. For a given value of AMTD, there exists an optimum heat transfer rate, Qopt, given by the product of UA and AMTD such that the rate of heat transfer in the heat exchanger is always less than this optimum value. The optimum heat transfer rate takes place in a balanced counter flow heat exchanger and by using this optimum rate of heat transfer, the concept of heat exchanger efficiency is introduced as the ratio of the actual to optimum heat transfer rate. A general algebraic expression as well as a chart is presented for the determination of the efficiency and therefore the rate of heat transfer for parallel flow, counter flow, single stream, as well as shell and tube heat exchangers with any number of shells and even number of tube passes per shell. In addition to being more intuitive, the use of AMTD and the heat exchanger efficiency allow the direct comparison of the different types of heat exchangers.


Author(s):  
Zhe Tian ◽  
Ali Abdollahi ◽  
Mahmoud Shariati ◽  
Atefeh Amindoust ◽  
Hossein Arasteh ◽  
...  

Purpose This paper aims to study the fluid flow and heat transfer through a spiral double-pipe heat exchanger. Nowadays using spiral double-pipe heat exchangers has become popular in different industrial segments due to its complex and spiral structure, which causes an enhancement in heat transfer. Design/methodology/approach In these heat exchangers, by converting the fluid motion to the secondary motion, the heat transfer coefficient is greater than that of the straight double-pipe heat exchangers and cause increased heat transfer between fluids. Findings The present study, by using the Fluent software and nanofluid heat transfer simulation in a spiral double-tube heat exchanger, investigates the effects of operating parameters including fluid inlet velocity, volume fraction of nanoparticles, type of nanoparticles and fluid inlet temperature on heat transfer efficiency. Originality/value After presenting the results derived from the fluid numerical simulation and finding the optimal performance conditions using a genetic algorithm, it was found that water–Al2O3 and water–SiO2 nanofluids are the best choices for the Reynolds numbers ranging from 10,551 to 17,220 and 17,220 to 31,910, respectively.


Author(s):  
Muhammad Ansab Ali ◽  
Tariq S. Khan ◽  
Ebrahim Al Hajri

The quest to achieve higher heat transfer rate, smaller size and minimum pressure drop is a main area of focus in the design of heat exchangers. Plate heat exchangers are one of viable candidates to deliver higher heat duties but still have a drawback of higher pressure drop due to long restricted flow path. Motivated by demand of miniaturization and cost reduction, a novel design of tubular microchannel heat exchanger for single phase flow employing ammonia water mixture is proposed. Numerical simulation of unit fluid domain is conducted in ANSYS Fluent. Parametric study of the different flow geometries is evaluated in terms of Nusselt number and pressure drop. The salient features of the design include ultra-compact size with higher heat transfer rate and acceptable pressure drop.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2 Part B) ◽  
pp. 1545-1559
Author(s):  
Tarkan Koca ◽  
Aydın Citlak

In this study, the effects of rotating straight and helical inner tubes is experimentally discussed to determine heat transfer and pressure losses in rotating tubes and improve heat transfer. The outer tube remains stationary and the inner tube is rotated at different speeds in the work. In the experiments for straight and helical tubes, the flow regime is turbulent. According to the results, Nusselt number, pressure loss, and efficiency of heat exchanger were gauged. In addition, empirical formulas were obtained for each pipe type. It is observed that as the rotation speed of the pipe increases, the heat transfer rate increases. The pipe that provides the best increase in heat transfer is the five helixes tubes. At five helixes tubes; after the number of revolutions per minute exceeds 300, the increase in heat transfer rate has almost halt. At five helixes tubes and at 300 rpm speed when the flow of cold water through the annular gap with the fluid passing through the inner tube is equal, the heat transfer increases by 124.10% compared to straight tube, 23.47% compared to two helixes tubes, 7.92% compared to three helixes tubes, and 1.65% compared to four helixes tubes. Maximum effectiveness was obtained while rotating with 300 rpm in five helixes pipes.


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