Computational fluid dynamic simulations to improve heat transfer in shell tube heat exchangers

Author(s):  
Rahmad Syah ◽  
Amir Bateni ◽  
Kamran Valizadeh ◽  
Marischa Elveny ◽  
Mehdi Shaeban Jahanian ◽  
...  

Abstract Improving the thermal efficiency of shell-tube heat exchangers is essential in industries related to these heat exchangers. Installing heat transfer boosters on the side of the converter tube is one of the most appropriate ways to enhance heat transfer and increase the efficiency of this equipment. In this article, spring turbulence is studied using the computational fluid dynamics tool. The displacement heat transfer coefficient and the friction coefficient were selected as the primary target parameters, and the effect of using spring tabulators on them was investigated. The ratio of torsion step length to turbulence pipe length, wire diameter to pipe diameter ratio, and flow regime was studied as the main simulation variables, and the simulation results were compared with a simple pipe. The effect of water-acting fluid, R22, and copper Nanofluid on tubes containing turbidity was compared and investigated. This study showed that due to the pressure drop, the pipe with a torsional pitch to pipe length ratio of 0.17, a turbulent diameter to pipe diameter ratio of 0.15, and a Reynolds number of 50,000 with fluid R22 has the best performance for heat transfer.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-71
Author(s):  
Abeth Novria Sonjaya ◽  
Marhaenanto Marhaenanto ◽  
Mokhamad Eka Faiq ◽  
La Ode M Firman

The processed wood industry urgently needs a dryer to improve the quality of its production. One of the important components in a dryer is a heat exchanger. To support a durable heat transfer process, a superior material is needed. The aim of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of the application of cross-flow flat plate heat exchangers to be used in wood dryers and compare the materials used and simulate heat transfer on cross-flow flat plate heat exchangers using Computational Fluid Dynamic simulations. The results showed that there was a variation in the temperature out of dry air and gas on the flat plate heat exchanger and copper material had a better heat delivery by reaching the temperature out of dry air and gas on the flat plate type heat exchanger of successive cross flow and.   overall heat transfer coefficient value and the effectiveness value of the heat exchanger of the heat transfer characteristics that occur with the cross-flow flat plate type heat exchanger in copper material of 251.74725 W/K and 0.25.


Author(s):  
Merrill A. Wilson ◽  
Michele Bullough ◽  
Kriston Brooks ◽  
Kurt Recknagle

Efficiency and emissions of advanced gas turbine power cycles can be improved by incorporating high-temperature ceramic heat exchangers. In cooperation with the DOE, a highly effective microchannel ceramic recuperator for a microturbine is under development. In this recuperator, the use of microchannel architecture will improve heat transfer and provide a more uniform temperature distribution. This will result in overall higher productivity per unit volume compared to conventional hardware. The use of ceramic for the recuperator will allow higher temperature operation than available in conventional microturbines. Based on a model for a typical microturbine, these changes may improve the overall system efficiency from about 27% to over 40%.


Author(s):  
Lei Wang ◽  
Bengt Sunde´n

Repeated ribs are frequently employed to promote turbulence and to enhance heat transfer in various ducts. In the present study, liquid crystal thermography has applied to the study of heat transfer from a square channel having one surface heated at uniform heat flux and roughened by repeated ribs. The continuous and truncated ribs, having square sections, with height-to-hydraulic diameter ratio of 0.15, were deployed normal to the mainstream direction of flow. Detailed distributions of the local heat transfer coefficient were obtained at various Reynolds number within the turbulent flow regime. Averaged data were calculated in order to evaluate the augmentation of heat transfer by the presence of different ribs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 225 ◽  
pp. 05019
Author(s):  
A.Y. Adam ◽  
A.N. Oumer ◽  
Azri Alias ◽  
M. Ishak ◽  
R. Mamat ◽  
...  

Flat tubes heat exchangers are commonly used in many industrial applications as a consequence of the distinctive geometrical characteristics of the flat tube compared with round tube. This paper aims to investigate the flow and heat transfer characteristics of laminar cross-flow forced convection in compact fin-and-flat tube heat exchangers. The experiment was performed to explore the influence of the tube inclination angle on the thermal hydraulic performance of the flat tube heat exchanger. Four flat tubes arranged in two aligned rows having the same longitudinal and transverse pitches have been examined in the range of Reynolds number between 1768.27 and 2259.46. A constant heat flux of 4169.63 W/m2 was applied at the inner surface of each flat tube. On the other hand, the numerical simulation is solved by ANSYS FLUENT for a two dimensional model with unstructured mesh and the results are compared against the experimental results. The numerical simulation results indicate that the average Nusselt number increased by 78.24 % for Reynolds number 1768.27. Besides that, for Reynolds number 1964.75 and 2259.46 the Nusselt numbers were increased by 75.89 % and 54.49%, respectively, compared to experimental results. Moreover, the pressure drop is increased 25 % and 83.38 % for both experimental and numerical simulation with respect to three Reynolds number. It was found that, the tube with 30° degree provides the higher heat transfer with Reynolds number 2259.46. This study could assist engineers in decisions regarding the application of compact fin-and-tube heat exchangers in the automotive field.


Entropy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Silva-Llanca ◽  
Marcelo del Valle ◽  
Alfonso Ortega ◽  
Andrés Díaz

Forecasting data center cooling demand remains a primary thermal management challenge in an increasingly larger global energy-consuming industry. This paper proposes a dynamic modeling approach to evaluate two different strategies for delivering cold air into a data center room. The common cooling method provides air through perforated floor tiles by means of a centralized distribution system, hindering flow management at the aisle level. We propose an idealized system such that five overhead heat exchangers are located above the aisle and handle the entire server cooling demand. In one case, the overhead heat exchangers force the airflow downwards into the aisle (Overhead Downward Flow (ODF)); in the other case, the flow is forced to move upwards (Overhead Upward Flow (OUF)). A complete fluid dynamic, heat transfer, and thermodynamic analysis is proposed to model the system’s thermal performance under both steady state and transient conditions. Inside the servers and heat exchangers, the flow and heat transfer processes are modeled using a set of differential equations solved in MATLAB™. This solution is coupled with ANSYS-Fluent™, which computes the three-dimensional velocity, temperature, and turbulence on the Airside. The two approaches proposed (ODF and OUF) are evaluated and compared by estimating their cooling effectiveness and the local Entropy Generation. The latter allows identifying the zones within the room responsible for increasing the inefficiencies (irreversibilities) of the system. Both approaches demonstrated similar performance, with a small advantage shown by OUF. The results of this investigation demonstrated a promising approach of data center on-demand cooling scenarios.


Author(s):  
Tosha Churitter

Pins are a common type of extended surface used in the field of heat transfer; their main application being in the electronics field. Historically, pins used in heat exchangers have diameters that are considered negligible in comparison to their lengths and are therefore termed as tubes. In this report, the use of pins as an extended surface is investigated for the heat transfer on the airside (cold) of the Compact Advanced Pin Surface Heat Exchanger. The pins are circular in cross section and follow a staggered arrangement. The uniqueness of the pin design is such that they cannot be treated as tubes. Key Pin Design features are as follows: • Pins have a maximum Length: Diameter ratio of 3. • Pin Spacing to Pin Diameter ratio is greater than in traditional arrangements. • Pins function as a primary as well as secondary surface. The heat transfer performance of extended surfaces possessing the above features has not been characterized, using commercially available Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, in any research specifically focused on applications for the aerospace industry. Based on actual test results, this study specially develops a unique approach that can predict the outlet temperature of the heat exchanger to within 1% accuracy. This ‘developed’ approach is applied over cold-side mass flow rates ranging from 0.05 kg/s to 0.23 kg/s, while keeping the hot side mass flow rate constant at 0.05 kg/s. At worst, the simulation results lie within 5% accuracy and at best the simulation accuracy is 1%, a significant improvement on traditional derivations. This article specifically discusses the methodology developed to analyse the heat transfer performance of the novel pin design using Fluent 6.2. It highlights the current limitations of existing equations as well as the theoretical knowledge gap that currently exists in the analysis of pins as extended heat transfer surfaces in heat exchangers.


Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Sadeghianjahromi ◽  
Saeid Kheradmand ◽  
Hossain Nemati ◽  
Jane-Sunn Liaw ◽  
Chi-Chuan Wang

This study performs a 3D turbulent flow numerical simulation to improve heat transfer characteristics of wavy finandtube heat exchangers. A compound design encompassing louver, flat, and vortex generator onto wavy fins can significantly enhance the heat transfer performance of wavy fin-and-tube heat exchangers. Replacement of wavy fins around tubes with flat fins is not effective as far as the reduction of thermal resistance is concerned, although an appreciable pressure drop reduction can be achieved. Adding two louvers with a width of 8 mm to the flat portion can reduce thermal resistance up to 6% in comparison with the reference wavy fin. Increasing the louver number and width can further decrease the thermal resistance. Also, it is found that the optimum louver angle is equal to the wavy angle for offering the lowest thermal resistance. Therefore, compound geometry with three louvers, a width of 12 mm, and the louver angle being equal to wavy angle with waffle height to be the same as fin pitch of the reference wavy fin has the most reduction in thermal resistance of 16% for a pumping power of 0.001 W. Adding punching longitudinal vortex generators on this compound geometry can further decrease thermal resistance up to 18%.


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