Comparisons of Local Experimental Results with Numerical Results of Heat Transfer Enhancement of a Flat Tube Bank Fin with Vortex Generators

Abstract

The common way to obtain the fin pattern of a tube bank fin heat exchanger with good heat transfer performance is through experiments. Such experiments are complex, expensive, and very difficult to carry out. Recently, numerical analysis has become a powerful method for selecting the fin pattern of tube bank fin heat exchangers. In this article, we focus on testing the reliability of the numerical method by comparing local numerical results with local experimental results obtained through naphthalene sublimation. The target of numerical analyses carried out here is a flat tube bank fin heat exchanger mounted with vortex generators. The results show that using body-fitted coordinates, with proper treatment of vortex generators penetrating the fluid flow, leads to reliable local and average results.

L. B. Wang acknowledges the support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50876040)