Numerical and experimental investigation of tube bundle heat exchanger arrangement effect on heat transfer performance in turbulent flows


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Aslan E., Taymaz I., Çakır K., Eker Kahveci E.

ISI BILIMI VE TEKNIGI DERGISI/ JOURNAL OF THERMAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, vol.43, no.2, pp.175-190, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)

Abstract

This study examines the friction factor, convective heat transfer, and area goodness factor of both inline and

staggered tube bundles. The Finite Volume Method (FVM) is used for numerical simulations. Experimental and

numerical approaches are utilized. Both 18.0 mm and 21.6 mm longitudinal distances are investigated. It is

recommended to use ratio coefficients to reduce computation time. The proportion coefficients are used to obtain

predictions for the three-dimensional cases based on the two-dimensional results or to transfer the 2D results to 3D. In

addition, three turbulence models were utilized and compared within an Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes

(URANS) formulation. Experimental results validated numerical predictions. The thermal boundary conditions consist

of a constant inlet temperature and a uniform heat flux on the support plate. Reynolds number is changed from 989 to

6352, while the Prandtl number remains at 0.70. Nusselt number and friction factor values have been observed to

increase with increasing Reynolds number in all geometric configurations. The staggered configurations result in

greater Nusselt number and friction factor values compared to inline configurations. The Nusselt number and pressure

drop experience negative and positive effects, respectively, as the distance between rows decreases. SST turbulence

models typically predict reasonable outcomes for all geometric configurations.

Keywords: Friction factor, Convective heat transfer, Tube bundle, Unsteady Reynolds