Abstract
A louver-finned flat tube heat exchanger was tested, and the data are compared with those of the state-of-the-art round tube heat exchanger. Both heat exchangers have the same tube perimeter and fin pitch. Tests were conducted under dry and wet condition. Results show that, under dry condition, both j and f factors of the round tube heat exchanger are larger than those of the flat tube heat exchanger. As the Reynolds number decreases, however, the j and f factors of the flat tube heat exchanger increase at steeper slopes than those of the round tube heat exchanger. Under wet condition, contrary to the dry surface, both j and f factors of the flat tube heat exchanger are larger than those of the round tube heat exchanger. Explanation is provided considering the condensate drainage between louvers and fins. Performance evaluation was also performed.
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This paper was recommended for publication in revised form by Associate Editor Man-Yeong Ha
Nae-Hyun Kim is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Incheon. His area of interest spans boiling and condensation, heat transfer enhancement and heat exchanger design. He has been active in heat transfer community, and was a Chairman of Thermal Engineering Division of KSME. He holds several editorial position including Journal of Enhanced Heat Transfer. He is a recipient of Asian Academic Award awarded by SAREK and JSRAE.
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Kim, NH., Kim, SH. Dry and wet air-side performance of a louver-finned heat exchanger having flat tubes. J Mech Sci Technol 24, 1553–1561 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-010-0409-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-010-0409-1