Dimensionless Parameters for the Optimization of Annular-Finned Tubes

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristóbal Cortés ◽  
Inmaculada Arauzo ◽  
Antonio Campo

Abstract This paper addresses the problem of optimizing an array of annular fins starting from an empirical fit of the average convection coefficient that recognizes the influence of the fin spacing. A dimensionless formulation is proposed to reduce the number of independent parameters to only four, being applicable to a rather generic situation. The formulation is illustrated with a parametric study encompassing the ranges of interest of the variables: Reynolds number, thermal conductivity ratio, volume constraint and fin spacing and thickness. Applied to the standard designs of annular-finned heat exchangers, the method predicts fully coherent points of optimum thermal performance. A sequence is suggested to integrate the optimization process within the design calculations of heat exchangers, and several graphs are presented which are suitable to this purpose. The method can be applied to the design and scaling calculations of annular-finned tube bundles for gas-liquid or gas-gas applications.

Author(s):  
Ignacio Carvajal-Mariscal ◽  
Florencio Sanchez-Silva ◽  
Georgiy Polupan

In this work the heat transfer and pressure drop experimental results obtained in a two step finned tube bank with conical fins are presented. The tube bank had an equilateral triangle array composed of nine finned tubes with conical fins inclined 45 degrees in respect with the tube axis. The heat exchange external area of a single tube is approximately 0.07 m2. All necessary thermal parameters, inlet/outlet temperatures, mass flows, for the heat balance in the tube bank were determined for different air velocities, Re = 3400–18400, and one constant thermal charge provided by a hot water flow with a temperature of 80 °C. As a result, the correlations for the heat transfer and pressure drop calculation were obtained. The experimental results were compared against the analytical results for a tube bank with annular fins with the same heat exchange area. It was found that the proposed tube bank using finned tubes with conical fins shows an increment of heat transfer up to 58%.


Author(s):  
Fengzhong Sun ◽  
Yuetao Shi ◽  
Zhihang Han ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Xinyuan Huang ◽  
...  

The spiral finned tubes are used as the substitute of bare tubes in heat exchangers, which is an effective method to reduce abrasion and fouling in boilers. The cold state test with PDA system has been made to study the distribution of granule concentration between fins. This experimental research has laid the foundation of analysis for further study why the spiral finned tube can reduce abrasion and fouling.


Author(s):  
Michael Fischer

In the past finned tube bundle heat exchangers were often subject of severe damages due to flow-induced vibration followed by high amounts of loss for the operator. A case of practical importance is the design of spiral finned gas tube bundle heat exchangers that still have been investigated in literature only seldom. Both acoustic resonance and fluidelastic instability can lead to tube rupture within a short period of operation. In this paper analytic calculation methods for tube Eigenfrequencies are extended to spiral finned tubes. The results are in agreement with static and vibrational experiments. Stability criteria for fluidelastic instability are derived by flow channel experiments extending Connor’s equation to the design of spiral finned tube bundles. A number of cases of damage is described. The importance of correct damping values is demonstrated. The scheme reported in this paper is able to avoid damages in spiral finned tube bundle heat exchangers due to fluidelastic instability.


1985 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 377-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. K. Yau ◽  
J. R. Cooper ◽  
J. W. Rose

The dependence of heat transfer performance on fin spacing has been investigated for condensation of steam on horizontal integral-fin tubes. Thirteen tubes have been used with rectangular section fins having the same width and height (0.5 mm and 1.6 mm) and with fin pitch varying from 1.0 mm to 20.5 mm. For comparison, tests were made using a plain tube having the same inside diameter and an outside diameter equal to that at the root of the fins for the finned tubes. All tests were made at near-atmospheric pressure with vapor flowing vertically downward with velocities between 0.5 m/s and 1.1 m/s. The observed heat transfer enhancement for the finned tubes significantly exceeded that to be expected on grounds of increased area. Plots of enhancement against fin density were repeatable and showed local maxima and minima. The dependence of enhancement on fin density did not depend appreciably on vapor velocity or condensation rate for the ranges used. The maximum vapor-side enhancement (i.e., vapor-side heat transfer coefficient of finned tube/vapor-side coefficient for plain tube) was found to be around 3.6 for the tube with a fin spacing of 1.5 mm.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ju Ding ◽  
Min Zhang ◽  
Shuhong Liu ◽  
Shenghui Wang ◽  
Jielu Wang

Abstract The finned tube heat exchanger is one of the earliest and most successful discoveries in the process of improving tube heat exchange. This method is still the most widely used of all kinds of tube heat transfer surface enhancement heat transfer methods. It is not only suitable for single-fin tube heat exchangers, which are widely used in power, chemical, petrochemical, air-conditioning engineering and refrigeration engineering. Conventional heat exchanger with smooth tubes can be inspected through the pressure test during the manufacturing process. Finned tubes and finned heat exchangers with inner thread structure have some difficult to pass the water pressure test. The same situation exists in regular inspections. Due to structural reasons, it is difficult to carry out regular surface inspections[1]. For these two situations, two different testing methods are required to ensure quality. This article introduces in detail the methods of inspecting finned tubes and finned heat exchangers. Hierarchical comparison of alternatives in hydrostatic testing project, and the eddy current detection technology of the finned tube under the condition of in-service air cooling. The far-field eddy current method is chosen for inspection. And by comparing the standard sample tube, it is mainly used to adjust the sensitivity of the eddy current detector and ensure the accuracy of the test results[2]. The results show that the eddy current detection technology can be more accurate and reliable. The corrosion of the finned tube under service air cooling is detected, and a reliable basis is provided for judging the use of the finned tube and finned heat exchanger[3].


1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi-chuan Wang ◽  
Yi-chung Hsieh ◽  
Yur-tsai Lin

Systematic studies of continuous fin-and-tube tube heat exchangers under dehumidifying conditions are reported in the present study. The heat exchangers consist of nine fin-and-tube heat exchangers having plane fins. The effects of fin spacing, the number of tube row, and inlet conditions are investigated. Data are presented in terms of j factors and friction factors f. It is found that the inconsistencies in the open literature may be associated with the wet fin efficiency. A correlation is proposed for the present plate fin configuration; this correlation can describe 92 percent of j, and 91 percent of the f data within ±10 percent.


Author(s):  
Kazuo Hirota ◽  
Tomomichi Nakamura ◽  
Hirohiko Kikuchi ◽  
Kazunori Isozaki ◽  
Hirotaka Kawahara

Fluidelastic and vortex induced vibration are important problems in operating heat exchangers. Many studies have been conducted to solve the problems. As a result, design guideline has already existed for the flow-induced vibration of a tube bundle. On the other hand, some kinds of heat exchanger use finned tube array in order to improve the efficiency of the heat transfer. For finned tube array, some studies for vortex induced acoustic resonance have been conducted, where Strouhal numbers are obtained. However fluctuating lift coefficients due to vortex are important from the viewpoint of tube vibration. Moreover, critical velocities for fluidelastic vibration are also important. In this study, fluidelastic and vortex induced vibration tests were conducted for a triangular finned tube array. Two different frequencies of the vortex shedding were observed. For this tube array, Strouhal numbers were 0.13–0.15, 0.37–0.39. However vortex induced forces were too weak to excite the finned tubes. For this tube array, averaged Connors’ constant K was 6.8.


1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (2) ◽  
pp. 479-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Honda ◽  
B. Uchima ◽  
S. Nozu ◽  
H. Nakata ◽  
E. Torigoe

Film condensation of R-113 on in-line bundles of horizontal finned tubes with vertical vapor downflow was experimentally investigated. Two tubes with flat-sided annular fins and four tubes with three-dimensional fins were tested. The test sections were 3×15 tube bundles with and without two rows of inundation tubes at the top. Heat transfer measurements were carried out on a row-by-row basis. The heat transfer enhancement due to vapor shear was much less for a finned tube bundle than for a smooth tube bundle. The decrease in heat transfer due to condensate inundation was more marked for a three-dimensional fin tube than for a flat-sided fin tube. The predictions of the previous theoretical model for a bundle of flat-sided fin tubes agreed well with the measured data for low vapor velocity and a small to medium condensate inundation rate. Among the six tubes tested, the highest heat transfer performance was provided by the flat-sided fin tube with fin dimensions close to the theoretically determined optimum values.


Author(s):  
Robert H. Lumsden ◽  
David S. Weaver

The study of fluidelastic instability in tube arrays has been ongoing for four decades. Although much research has been conducted, a full understanding of the mechanisms involved is still not available. Designers of cross-flow heat exchangers must depend on experience and empirical data from laboratory studies. As new designs are developed, which differ from these experimental facilities, there is an increased risk of failure due to fluidelastic instability. An experimental program was conducted to examine fluidelastic instability in in-line and rotated square finned tube arrays. Three arrays of each geometry type were studied; two with serrated, helically wound finned tubes of different fin densities, and the third, a bare tube which had the same base diameter as the finned tubes. The finned tubes under consideration were commercial finned tubes of a type typically used in the fossil and process industries. The addition of fins to tubes in heat exchangers enhances heat transfer due to the increased surface area and the turbulence produced by the flow moving over the fins. The resulting flow pattern/distribution due to the fins is therefore much more complicated than in bare tube arrays. Previous research has shown that an effective diameter of a finned tube is useful in the prediction of vortex shedding. This concept is used to compare the finned tube results with the existing bare tube array guidelines for fluidelastic instability. All of the tube arrays in the present study have the same tube pitch, and have been scaled to have the same mass ratio. Results for the rotated square arrays show that the use of an effective diameter is beneficial in the scaling of fluidelastic instability and the finned tube results are found to fit within the scatter of the existing data for fluidelastic instability. For in-line square arrays, the results indicate that fins significantly increase the stability threshold.


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