Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Airside fin efficiencies for finned-tube heat exchangers with forced convection

  • Published:
Science China Technological Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The heat transfer and mass transfer fin efficiencies were analyzed numerically to show that popular models for heat transfer fin efficiency for circular fins are not always reasonable. The numerical results show that the effective heat transfer area of a circular fin increases several times faster than that of a straight fin for the same tube radius. Then, a simple but accurate heat transfer fin efficiency model was developed and verified by numerical results for a wide range of fin designs. This model predicts the heat transfer fin efficiency with absolute errors of less than 1%. The heat transfer and mass transfer fin efficiencies were found to be quite different for typical air flow with low relative humidity. Thus, these two fin efficiencies should not be assumed to be equal and a mass transfer fin efficiency model was developed, based on the heat transfer fin efficiency model. These heat transfer and mass transfer fin efficiencies are very useful for more accurate prediction for a wide range of practical applications.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Huzayyin A S, Nada S A, Elattar H F. Air-side performance of a wavy-finned-tube direct expansion cooling and dehumidifying air coil. Int J Refrig, 2007, 30(2): 230–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Pirompugd W, Wang C C, Wongwises S. Finite circular fin method for wavy fin and tube heat exchangers under fully and partially wet surface conditions. Int J Heat Mass Tran, 2008, 51(15–16): 4002–4017

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Wang C C, Lee W S, Sheu W J, et al. A comparison of the airside performance of the fin and tube heat exchangers in wet conditions: with and without hydrophilic coating. Appl Therm Eng, 2002, 22(3): 267–278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Liang S Y, Wong T N, Nathan G K. Comparison of one-dimensional and two-dimensional models for wet-surface fin efficiency of a plate fin tube heat exchanger. Appl Therm Eng, 2000, 20(10): 941–962

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. SalahEi-Din M M. Performance Analysis of partially-wet fin assembly. Appl Therm Eng, 1998, 18(5): 337–349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Liang S Y, Wong T N. Experimental validation of model predictions on evaporator coils with an emphasis on fin efficiency. Int J Therm Sci, 2010, 49(1): 187–195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Liu J, Wei W J, Ding G L, et al. Development of study on heat transfer and friction characteristics of fin and tube heat exchanger-experimental study. J Refrig, 2003, (3): 25–30

    Google Scholar 

  8. Gardner K A. Efficiency of extended surfaces. Trans ASME, 1945, 67: 621–631

    Google Scholar 

  9. Barker J J. The efficiency of composite fins. NS&E, 1958, 3: 300–312

    Google Scholar 

  10. Naphon P. Study on the heat transfer characteristics of the annular fin under dry-surface, partially wet-surface and fully wet-surface conditions. Int Commun Heat Mass, 2006, 33(1): 112–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Sparrow E M, Charmchi M. Laminar heat transfer in an externally finned circular tube. J Heat Transfer, 1980, 102(12): 605–611

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Liu X H, Zhang H. A problem of fin efficiency in engineering calculation. RAC, 2008, 8(2): 25–28

    Google Scholar 

  13. McQuiston F C. Fin efficiency with combined heat and mass transfer, ASHRAE Trans Part 1, 1975, 81(1): 350–355

    Google Scholar 

  14. Jouhara H, Axcell B P. Modelling and simulation techniques for forced convection heat transfer in heat sinks with rectangular fins. Simul Model Pract Th, 2009, 17(5): 871–882

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Hong K T, Webb R. L. Calculation of fin efficiency for wet and dry fins. HVAC&R Res, 1996, 2(1): 27–1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Maheswaran U, Sekhar S C. Evaluation of concepts of fin efficiency using Monte Carlo simulation method. Int J Heat Mass Tran, 2006, 49(9–10): 1643–1646

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  17. Kraus A D, Kern D Q. Extended Surface Heat Transfer. New York: McGraw Hill, 1972. 439–525

    Google Scholar 

  18. Liu W, Liu Z C, Wang Y S, et al. Flow mechanism and heat transfer enhancement in longitudinal-flow tube bundle of shell-and-tube heat exchanger. Sci China Ser E-Tech Sci, 2009, 52(10): 2952–2959

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  19. Guo J F, Xu M T, Cheng L. Principle of equipartition of entransy dissipation for heat exchanger design. Sci China Ser E-Tech Sci, 2010, 53(5): 1309–1314

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  20. Schmidt T E. Heat transfer calculations for extended surfaces. Refrig Eng, 1949, 43: 39–51

    Google Scholar 

  21. Comini G, Savino S. Latent and sensible heat transfer in air-cooling application. Int J Numer Method H, 2007, 17(6): 608–627

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Liang S Y, Wong T N. Experimental validation of model predictions on evaporator coils with an emphasis on fin efficiency. Int J Therm Sci, 2010, 49(1): 187–195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Lin C N, Jang J Y. A two-dimensional fin efficiency analysis of combined heat and mass transfer in elliptic fins. Int J Heat Mass Tran, 2002, 45(18): 3839–3847

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  24. Wang J, Hihara E. Prediction of air coil performance under partially wet and totally wet cooling conditions using equivalent dry-bulk-temperature method. Int J Refrig, 2003, 26(3): 293–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Pirompugd W, Wang C C, Wongwises S. Finite circular fin method for heat and mass transfer characteristics for plain fin and tube heat exchangers under fully and partially wet surface conditions. Int J Heat Mass Tran, 2007, 50(3–4): 552–565

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  26. Pu H, Ding G L, Ma X K, et al. Long-term performance of air-side heat transfer and pressure drop for finned tube evaporators of air conditioners under intermittent operation conditions. Int J Refrig, 2010, 33(1): 107–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Wang C C. On the heat and mass analogy of fin-and-tube heat exchangers. Int J Heat Mass Tran, 2008, 51(7–8): 2055–2059

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Pu H, Ding G L, Ma X K, et al. Effects of biofouling on air-side heat transfer and pressure drop for finned tube heat exchangers. Int J Refrig, 2009, 32(5): 1032–1040

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Ma X K, Ding G L, Zhang Y M, et al. Airside heat transfer and friction characteristics for enhanced fin-and-tube heat exchanger with hydrophilic coating under wet conditions. Int J Refrig, 2007, 30(7): 1153–1167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Hong T K, Webb R L. Calculation of fin efficiency for wet and dry fins. HVAC&R Res, 2006, 2(1): 27–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Threlkeld J L. Thermal Environmental Engineering. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1970. 263–264

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Thermal Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Cheng Li, JunMing Li & HeRan Zhang

Authors
  1. Cheng Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. JunMing Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. HeRan Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to JunMing Li.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Li, C., Li, J. & Zhang, H. Airside fin efficiencies for finned-tube heat exchangers with forced convection. Sci. China Technol. Sci. 54, 2468–2474 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-011-4412-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-011-4412-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation