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Compound heat transfer enhancement for shell side of double-pipe heat exchanger by helical fins and vortex generators

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Abstract

To improve heat transfer performance of shell side of double-pipe heat exchanger with helical fins on its inner tube, some vortex generators (VGs) were installed along the centerline of the helical channel. Heat transfer performance and pressure drop characteristic of the enhanced heat exchangers were investigated using air as the working fluid and steam as the heating medium. The helical fins were in the annulus and span its full width at different helical pitch. Wing-type VGs (delta or rectangular wing) and winglet-type VGs (delta or rectangular winglet pair) were used to combine with helical fins. The friction factor and Nusselt number can be well correlated by power-law correlations in the Reynolds number range studied. In order to evaluate the thermal performance of the shell side enhanced over the shell side without enhancement, comparisons were made under three constraints: (1) identical mass flow rate, IMF; (2) identical pressure drop, IPD and (3) identical pumping power, IPP. The results show the shell side enhanced by the compound heat transfer enhancement has better performance than the shell side only enhanced by helical fins at shorter helical pitch under the three constraints.

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Abbreviations

A :

Cross-sectional area of fluid flow

a :

Length of the edge of the vortex generators

b :

Length of the edge of the vortex generators

c p :

Specific heat of air at constant pressure

D h :

Hydraulic diameter of the flow channel

d i :

Outer diameter of inner tube

d o :

Inner diameter of outer tube

F :

Heat transfer area of the air side

f :

Friction factor

H :

Half-height of the helical channel

h :

Height

l :

Length of the heat exchanger

m :

Intermediate variable

N :

Number of vortex generator within one pitch

Nu :

Nusselt number

P :

Helical pitch

Pr :

Prandtl number

p :

Static pressure

Q :

Heat transfer rate

Re :

Reynolds number

t :

Temperature

u :

Velocity

V :

Volume flow rate

W :

Half-width of the helical channel

x :

Coordination in the direction of the tube axis

α :

Heat transfer coefficient

γ :

The ratio of the diameters

Δ:

Difference of the variables

δ :

Thickness of the helical fin

η :

Fin efficiency

λ :

Thermal conductivity of air

μ :

Dynamic viscosity

ρ :

Density of air

e:

Enhanced heat exchanger

f:

Fin

in:

Inlet

m:

Average

out:

Outlet

s:

Heat exchanger with smooth inner tube

w:

Wall

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge financial supports for this work provided by special funds for local colleges and universities development supported by the central finance of China (No. 2050205).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang, 110142, Liaoning, China

    Li Zhang, Hongmei Guo & Wenjuan Du

  2. School of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Li Zhang & Jianhua Wu

  3. School of Mechanical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang, 110142, Liaoning, China

    Jianhua Wu

Authors
  1. Li Zhang
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  2. Hongmei Guo
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  3. Jianhua Wu
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  4. Wenjuan Du
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Correspondence to Jianhua Wu.

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Zhang, L., Guo, H., Wu, J. et al. Compound heat transfer enhancement for shell side of double-pipe heat exchanger by helical fins and vortex generators. Heat Mass Transfer 48, 1113–1124 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-011-0959-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-011-0959-5

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