Numerical optimization of a fin-tube gas to liquid heat exchanger

Bilir, Levent; İlken, Zafer; Erek, Aytunç

doi:10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2011.09.010

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Circular annular fins, one of the most common types of fins, are widely used in many industrial and engineering applications [10][11][12] from ventilation to heat-recovery systems. Therefore, many experimental or numerical studies have investigated the effect of key geometrical parameters on the heat transfer and pressure drop performance of different finned-tube heat exchanger designs [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Using extended surfaces boosts the air-side heat transfer.…”

Section: -Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shape optimisation of air-cooled finned-tube heat exchangers

Nemati

Moghimi

Sapin

et al. 2020

International Journal of Thermal Sciences

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The use of annular fins in air-cooled heat exchangers is a well-known solution, commonly used in airconditioning and heat-recovery systems, for enhancing the air-side heat transfer. Although associated with additional material and manufacturing costs, custom-designed finned-tube heat exchangers can be cost-effective. In this article, the shape of the annular fins in a multi-row air heat exchanger is optimised in order to enhance performance without incurring a manufacturing cost penalty. The air-side heat transfer, pressure drop and entropy generation in a regular, four-row heat exchanger are predicted using a steady-state turbulent CFD model and validated against experimental data. The validated simulation tool is then used to perform model-based optimisation of the fin shapes. The originality of the proposed approach lies in optimising the shape of each fin row individually, resulting in a non-homogenous custom bundle of tubes. Evidence of this local-optimisation potential is first provided by a short preliminary study, followed by four distinct optimisation studies (with four distinct objective functions), aimed at addressing the major problems faced by designers. Response-surface methods-namely, NLPQL for single-objective and MOGA for multi-objective optimisations-are used to determine the optimum configuration for each optimisation strategy. It is shown that elliptical annular-shaped fins minimise the pressure drop and entropy generation, while circular-shaped fins at the entrance region (i.e., first row) can be employed to maximise heat transfer. The results also show that, for the scenario in which the total heat transfer rate is maximised and the pressure drop minimised, the pressure drop is reduced by up to 31%, the fin weight is reduced up to 23 %, with as little as a 14 % decrease in the total air-side heat transfer, relative to the case in which all the fins across the tube bundle are circular. Moreover, in all optimised cases, the entropy generation rate is also reduced, which shows a thermodynamic improvement in tube bundle performance.

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Section: -Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shape optimisation of air-cooled finned-tube heat exchangers

Nemati

Moghimi

Sapin

et al. 2020

International Journal of Thermal Sciences

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“…Different types of finned-tube heat exchangers used in industries have been studied by many scientists [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. These works include shape optimization, analytical and numerical analysis of finned-tube heat exchangers and tube banks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Fin Spacing and Gas Radiation on Heat Transfer in Utility Boiler Economizers

et al. 2019

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The aim of this paper is to estimate fin spacing and gas radiation effects on heat transfer in utility boiler economizers to achieve the highest feed water temperature, and the biggest amount of heat transferred from flue gases to economizer tubes. This study is carried out for five different cases including a bare tube economizer and four finned-tube economizers with different fin spacing values. A finite volume method is employed to discretize and solve the governing equations for all cases in 3D. As a result, for verification purpose, the present numerical result is compared to the experimental outputs and it shows that the average Nusselt number difference is 15%. The finnedtube economizer with fin spacing value of 21mm absorbs the biggest amount of heat, and it has the highest outlet feed water temperature; therefore, it has the best thermal performance among the other cases. It is also concluded that radiation heat transfer mechanism has a minor effect on heat exchange in utility boiler economizers.

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“…Chen et al [17] concluded that larger height of dimple-protrusion T induces higher friction factor and Nusselt number. Bilir et al [18] studied the optimization of the fin-tube and protrusion geometries of finned tube heat exchanger and investigated the cumulative effect of three protrusions. They concluded that the use of several protrusions provides better heat transfer performance, but increases the pressure drop, compared to the case with only one protrusion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat transfer enhancement of inclined projected winglet pair vortex generators with protrusions

Oneissi

Habchi

Russeil

et al. 2018

International Journal of Thermal Sciences

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Heat transfer enhancement in parallel plate-fin heat exchanger is examined by performing three-dimensional numerical simulations of longitudinal vortex generators (VG) with protrusions. The turbulence is modeled using the shear-stress transport (SST) κ-ω model and validated with correlations and experimental data at Reynolds number equal to 4600. Hemi-spherical protrusions are inserted downstream two VG configurations: delta winglet type (DWP) and a new VG configuration named inclined projected winglet pair (IPWP), in various locations, leading to the definition of six different configurations. Based on the streamwise distribution of Nusselt number and friction coefficient criteria in addition to vorticity, the local performance is analyzed. Some VGs with protrusions are examined and show better performance relative to VGs standing alone. The present study highlights the different mechanisms involved in the convective heat transfer intensification by generating multiple interacting vortices while adding protrusions with low pressure drop penalty. Finally, it is found that the IPWP with protrusions, set downstream in the middle, bestows the best global performance with about 7.1% heat transfer enhancement compared to DWP configuration.

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Numerical optimization of a fin-tube gas to liquid heat exchanger

Cited by 12 publications

References 27 publications

Shape optimisation of air-cooled finned-tube heat exchangers

Shape optimisation of air-cooled finned-tube heat exchangers

Effects of Fin Spacing and Gas Radiation on Heat Transfer in Utility Boiler Economizers

Heat transfer enhancement of inclined projected winglet pair vortex generators with protrusions

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