Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in Plate-Fin and Tube Heat Exchangers in a Transitional Flow Regime

Abstract

The unsteady behaviors of fluid flow and heat transfer in plain plate-fin and tube heat exchangers with a wide range of fin spacings from 2.06 mm to 16.48 mm and tube diameter 8.28 mm are studied by a large eddy simulation technique (LES). Velocity fluctuations and vortex sheddings induced by the tubes in the channel are modeled. The results found that the flow in passages of large spacings is quite different from that of small spacings. The flow is co-determined by two effects: the duct effect and the tube bank effect. The tube bank effect is more dominant with increasing fin spacings.

Acknowledgments

This Project 51076047 is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.