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Heat transfer performance evaluation and prediction of correlation for turbulent flow through a tube with helical tape inserts at higher Reynolds number

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Abstract

An experimental investigation was accomplished to evaluate the performance of heat transfer for turbulent flow through a tube with helical tape inserts. The mild steel helical tape inserts with different twist ratios of 1.88, 3.13, 4.69, 6.41 and 7.81 were used in the flow field. Heat transfer and pressure drop data were prompted for a wide range of Reynolds number from 7200 to 50,000. The experimental results indicated that the Nusselt number, friction factor and thermal performance factor were increased with decreasing twist ratio. The results also showed that helical tape inserts of different geometries in a circular tube enhanced the heat transfer rate significantly with corresponding increase in friction factor. Nusselt number and friction factor for the tube with inserts were found to be increased up to 260 and 285 %, respectively, than those over the plain tube values at the comparable Reynolds number. The heat transfer performance was evaluated and found to be 44 % higher compared to the plain tube based on the constant blower power. Finally, new correlations were proposed for the twist ratios ranging from 1.88 to 7.81 for predicting the heat transfer, friction factor and thermal performance factor for turbulent flow through a circular tube fitted with helical tape inserts.

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Abbreviations

A x :

Cross sectional area of test section (m2)

C p :

Specific heat at constant pressure (J/kg K)

D i :

Tube inside diameter (m)

D o :

Tube outer diameter (m)

f :

Friction factor, dimensionless

f p :

Predicted friction factor, dimensionless

h :

Convective heat transfer coefficient (W/m2 K)

h x :

Local convective heat transfer co-efficient (W/m2 K)

I :

Current [ampere]

k :

Thermal conductivity (W/m K)

L :

Tube length (m)

\(\dot{m}\) :

Mass flow rate (kg/s)

P :

Pitch length (m)

ΔP :

Pressure drop along the length of the tube (N/m2)

Q :

Heat rate absorbed by the fluid (W)

q :

Heat flux (W/m2)

Q tloss :

Total heat rate loss (W)

Q t :

Generated total heat rate (W)

Q a :

Actual heat rate supplied (W)

T i :

Inlet temperature (K)

T o :

Outlet temperature (K)

\(\overline{T}_{b}\) :

Mean bulk temperature (K)

\(\overline{T}_{w}\) :

Mean wall temperature (K)

T bx :

Local bulk fluid temperature (K)

T wx :

Local wall temperature (K)

V :

Mean velocity in the test section (m/s) dimensionless

\(\dot{V}\) :

Mass flow flux (kg/s.m2)

V i :

Mean velocity at inlet section (m/s)

V v :

Voltage (volt)

W :

Wetted perimeter (m)

W d :

Tape width (m)

X :

Axial distance (m)

y :

Twist ratio, dimensionless

η :

Thermal performance factor, dimensionless

η p :

Predicted thermal performance factor, dimensionless

ρ :

Density (kg/m3)

b:

Bulk

i:

Inlet

o:

Outlet

p:

Tape inserts

s:

Plain

w:

Wall

x:

Local

Nu :

Nusselt number, dimensionless

Nu p :

Predicted Nusselt number, dimensionless

Nu x :

Local Nusselt number, dimensionless

Pr :

Prandtl number, dimensionless

Re :

Reynolds number, dimensionless

Re p :

Equivalent Reynolds number for the tube with tape inserts, dimensionless

Re s :

Equivalent Reynolds number for plain tube, dimensionless

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) for their support in this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering and Technology, Central Queensland University (CQUniversity), Rockhampton, Queensland, 4702, Australia

    Muhammad Mostafa Kamal Bhuiya & A. K. Azad

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), Chittagong, 4349, Bangladesh

    Muhammad Mostafa Kamal Bhuiya, M. S. U. Chowdhury & J. U. Ahamed

  3. School of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of New South Wales, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia

    M. S. U. Chowdhury

Authors
  1. Muhammad Mostafa Kamal Bhuiya
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  2. M. S. U. Chowdhury
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  3. J. U. Ahamed
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  4. A. K. Azad
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Correspondence to Muhammad Mostafa Kamal Bhuiya.

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Bhuiya, M.M.K., Chowdhury, M.S.U., Ahamed, J.U. et al. Heat transfer performance evaluation and prediction of correlation for turbulent flow through a tube with helical tape inserts at higher Reynolds number. Heat Mass Transfer 52, 1219–1230 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-015-1643-y

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