A review study on the performance of a parabolic trough receiver using twisted tape inserts

Author(s):  
Sashank Thapa ◽  
Sushant Samir ◽  
Khushmeet Kumar

Heat transfer in concentrating solar collectors like parabolic troughs has proven nowadays a very efficient method by using different passive techniques to increase the heat transfer rate. The use of passive techniques also increases the pumping power requirements to make the flow through the receiver. So, a number of researchers are working to find out the optimum performance conditions for parabolic trough receivers by using different types of inserts in flow paths. This paper presents a wide range of literature available for solar parabolic troughs in one place. Based on this extensive study, it is found that twisted tape inserts is a very wide field for investigation and the use of different shapes, pitch value, free space, and angle of twist tape are the parameters that can be considered for further studies to improve the performance of solar troughs. Also, various combinations of perforation and cuts on twisted tapes can be used to achieve enhanced performance.

Author(s):  
R. J. Yadav ◽  
Sandeep Kore ◽  
V. N. Riabhole

Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics in a circular tube with twisted tapes have been investigated experimentally and numerically using different working fluids by many researchers for wide range of Reynolds number. The swirl was generated by tape inserts of various twist ratios. The various twist ratios are considered Many researchers formed generalized correlations to predict friction factors and convective heat transfer coefficients with twisted tapes in a tube for a wide range of Reynolds numbers and Prandtl numbers. Satisfactory agreement was obtained between the present correlations and the data of others validate the proposed correlations. The experimental or numerical predictions were compared with earlier correlations revealing good agreement between them. From the literature review it is observed that most studies are mainly focused on the heat transfer enhancement using twisted tape by experimental or numerical solution. An investigation with analytical approach is rarely reported. Therefore, the main aim of the present work is to form a correlation from theoretical approach for Nusselt number for circular tube with twisted tape. Application of dimensional analysis to heat transfer in tape generated swirl flow is carried out.


1993 ◽  
Vol 115 (4) ◽  
pp. 890-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Manglik ◽  
A. E. Bergles

Thermal-hydraulic design correlations are developed to predict isothermal f and Nu for in-tube, turbulent flows with twisted-tape inserts. Experimental data taken for water and ethylene glycol, with y = 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0, are analyzed, and various mechanisms attributed to twisted tapes are identified. Tube blockage and tape-induced vortex mixing are the dominant phenomena that result in increased heat transfer and pressure drop; for loose- to snug-fitting tapes, the fin effects are insignificant. The limiting case of a straight tape insert correlates with the hydraulic-diameter-based smooth tube equation. Tape twist effects are thus isolated by normalizing the data with the asymptotic predictions for y = ∞, and the swirl effects are found to correlate with Re and l/y. The validity of the final correlations is verified by comparing the predictions with previously published data, which include both gases and liquids, under heating and cooling conditions and a wide range of tape geometries, thereby establishing a very generalized applicability. Finally, correlations for laminar (presented in the companion Part I paper) and turbulent flows are combined into single, continuous equations. For isothermal f, the correlation describes most of the available data for laminar-transition-turbulent flows within ±10 percent. For Nu, however, a family of curves is needed due to the nonunique nature of laminar-turbulent transition.


Author(s):  
Sashank Thapa ◽  
Sushant Samir ◽  
Khushmeet Kumar

A parabolic trough collector (PTC) is one of the concentrating types of a solar collector working in the medium range of temperature from 100–400 °C, for this reason, the efficiency of the solar parabolic trough is less than other types of concentrating solar collector (Point focusing types) in terms of solar to thermal energy conversion, the improvement in efficiency is achieved by various passive heat augmentation techniques in the receiver tube. One of the promising passive techniques is twisted tape inserts used in the receiver due to its simplicity in design and the various possibility of geometric modification. This paper deals with the performance evaluation of the solar parabolic trough receiver system by using passive techniques in the receiver. The testing of the receiver of PTC was done by using multiple perforated twisted tapes with winglets having different perforation ratios ([Formula: see text]) of 0.05, 0.15, 0.25, twist ratios ([Formula: see text]) of 3, 4, 5 and wing depth ratios ([Formula: see text]) of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3. The number of twisted tapes was fixed at 4. The examination was conducted for Reynolds numbers ([Formula: see text]) varying from 3000–21,000 using air as working fluid. The outcome shows that the use of perforation and winglet in twisted tapes augment the Nusselt number as compared to that of smooth twisted tapes. The maximum thermohydraulic performance ([Formula: see text]) of 2.40 is received by using multiple twisted tapes with perforation and winglet having [Formula: see text] = 0.3, [Formula: see text] = 3, and [Formula: see text] = 0.05 at the Re = 21,000. The correlations for Nusselt number ([Formula: see text]) and friction factor ([Formula: see text]) are also developed with ± 8.5% and ± 8.3% accuracy, respectively.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Ghalambaz ◽  
Hossein Arasteh ◽  
Ramin Mashayekhi ◽  
Amir Keshmiri ◽  
Pouyan Talebizadehsardari ◽  
...  

This study investigated the laminar convective heat transfer and fluid flow of Al2O3 nanofluid in a counter flow double-pipe heat exchanger equipped with overlapped twisted tape inserts in both inner and outer tubes. Two models of the same (co-swirling twisted tapes) and opposite (counter-swirling twisted tapes) angular directions for the stationary twisted tapes were considered. The computational fluid dynamic simulations were conducted through varying the design parameters, including the angular direction of twisted tape inserts, nanofluid volume concentration, and Reynolds number. It was found that inserting the overlapped twisted tapes in the heat exchanger significantly increases the thermal performance as well as the friction factor compared with the plain heat exchanger. The results indicate that models of co-swirling twisted tapes and counter-swirling twisted tapes increase the average Nusselt number by almost 35.2–66.2% and 42.1–68.7% over the Reynolds number ranging 250–1000, respectively. To assess the interplay between heat transfer enhancement and pressure loss penalty, the dimensionless number of performance evaluation criterion was calculated for all the captured configurations. Ultimately, the highest value of performance evaluation criterion is equal to 1.40 and 1.26 at inner and outer tubes at the Reynolds number of 1000 and the volume fraction of 3% in the case of counter-swirling twisted tapes model.


2006 ◽  
Vol 128 (10) ◽  
pp. 1070-1080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debashis Pramanik ◽  
Sujoy K. Saha

The heat transfer and the pressure drop characteristics of laminar flow of viscous oil through rectangular and square ducts with internal transverse rib turbulators on two opposite surfaces of the ducts and fitted with twisted tapes have been studied experimentally. The tapes have been full length, short length, and regularly spaced types. The transverse ribs in combination with full-length twisted tapes have been found to perform better than either ribs or twisted tapes acting alone. The heat transfer and the pressure drop measurements have been taken in separate test sections. Heat transfer tests were carried out in electrically heated stainless steel ducts incorporating uniform wall heat flux boundary conditions. Pressure drop tests were carried out in acrylic ducts. The flow was periodically fully developed in the regularly spaced twisted-tape elements case and decaying swirl flow in the short-length twisted tapes case. The flow characteristics are governed by twist ratio, space ratio, and length of twisted tape, Reynolds number, Prandtl number, rod-to-tube diameter ratio, duct aspect ratio, rib height, and rib spacing. Correlations developed for friction factor and Nusselt number have predicted the experimental data satisfactorily. The performance of the geometry under investigation has been evaluated. It has been found that on the basis of both constant pumping power and constant heat duty, the regularly spaced twisted-tape elements in specific cases perform marginally better than their full-length counterparts. However, the short-length twisted-tape performance is worse than the full-length twisted tapes. Therefore, full-length twisted tapes and regularly spaced twisted-tape elements in combination with transverse ribs are recommended for laminar flows. However, the short-length twisted tapes are not recommended.


2001 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Saha ◽  
A. Dutta

Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics in a circular tube fitted with twisted tapes have been investigated experimentally. Laminar swirl flow of a large Prandtl number 205<Pr<518 viscous fluid was considered. The swirl was generated by short-length twisted-tape inserts; regularly spaced twisted-tape elements with multiple twists in the tape module and connected by thin circular rods; and smoothly varying (gradually decreasing) pitch twisted-tapes. The heat transfer test section was heated electrically imposing axially and circumferentially constant wall heat flux (UHF) boundary condition. Reynolds number, Prandtl number, twist ratio, space ratio, number of tuns in the tape module, length of the twisted-tape and smoothness of the swirling pitch govern the characteristics. Friction factor and Nusselt number are lower for short-length twisted-tape than those for full-length twisted-tape. On the basis of constant pumping power and constant heat duty, however, short-length twisted-tapes are found to perform better than full-length twisted-tapes for tighter twists. Thermohydraulic performance shows that twisted-tapes with multiple twists in the tape module is not much different from that with single twist in the tape module. Friction factor and Nusselt number are approximately 15 percent lower for twisted-tapes with smooth swirl having the average pitch same as that of the uniform pitch (throughout) twisted-tape and the twisted-tapes with gradually decreasing pitch perform worse than their uniform-pitch counterparts.


Author(s):  
Dhruv Raj Karana ◽  
Rashmi Rekha Sahoo

Abstract Thermoelectric-based waste heat recovery is a competent technique to reduce the exhaust emissions and fuel consumption of automobiles. Thermal and hydraulic characteristics of the exhaust heat exchanger plays a decisive role in the extent of waste heat recovery from the exhaust gas. In this study, the exhaust heat exchanger having twisted tape inserts is proposed to increase the internal heat transfer coefficient. The dimensionless Nusselt number and friction factor were evaluated experimentally for different designs of the twisted tapes. The experiments were performed for the Reynolds number in the range 2300–25000. The considered geometric parameters of the twisted rib explored were the pitch fraction, twist fraction, and slope. The obtained results were compared to reveal the best feasible design of the twisted tape. The maximum net thermohydraulic efficiency factor achieved for the system in the present analysis is 1.93. With the use of twisted tapes, the area of the exhaust heat exchanger can be greatly reduced for the same power output as flat geometry. This would help for the integration of the waste heat recovery with the engine, where the space available is very limited.


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