Study of the Influence of the Lack of Contact in Plate and Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger on Heat Transfer Efficiency under Periodic Flow Conditions
Plate fin-tube heat exchangers are widely used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems and other industry fields. Various errors made in the manufacturing process can result in the formation of an air gap between the tube and fin. Several numerical simulations were carried out for a symmetric...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/13/3779 |
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| author | Marcin Łęcki Dariusz Andrzejewski Artur N. Gutkowski Grzegorz Górecki |
| author_facet | Marcin Łęcki Dariusz Andrzejewski Artur N. Gutkowski Grzegorz Górecki |
| author_sort | Marcin Łęcki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plate fin-tube heat exchangers are widely used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems and other industry fields. Various errors made in the manufacturing process can result in the formation of an air gap between the tube and fin. Several numerical simulations were carried out for a symmetric section of plate fin-tube heat exchanger to study the influence of air gap on heat transfer under periodic flow conditions. Different locations and sizes of an air gap spanning 1/2 circumference of the tube were considered for the range of airflow velocities. Velocity and temperature fields for cases with air gap were compared with ideal thermal contact cases. Blocking of heat flow by the gap leads to the reduction of heat transfer rate. Fin discontinuity in the front of the tube causes the smallest reduction of the heat transfer rate in comparison to the ideal tube-fin contact, especially for thin slits. The rear gap position is the worst in the smallest gap range. Therefore, reversing the flow direction can lead to up to a 15% heat transfer increase, if mainly the rear gaps are present. The introduction of a thin slit in the front of the tube leads to convective heat transfer enhancement, which should be further investigated. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:07:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-31c7883fc771432686353cc926af9b10 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:07:19Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-31c7883fc771432686353cc926af9b102023-11-22T01:27:23ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732021-06-011413377910.3390/en14133779Study of the Influence of the Lack of Contact in Plate and Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger on Heat Transfer Efficiency under Periodic Flow ConditionsMarcin Łęcki0Dariusz Andrzejewski1Artur N. Gutkowski2Grzegorz Górecki3Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Turbomachinery, Lodz University of Technology, 219/223 Wolczanska Street, 90-924 Lodz, PolandFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Turbomachinery, Lodz University of Technology, 219/223 Wolczanska Street, 90-924 Lodz, PolandFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Turbomachinery, Lodz University of Technology, 219/223 Wolczanska Street, 90-924 Lodz, PolandFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Turbomachinery, Lodz University of Technology, 219/223 Wolczanska Street, 90-924 Lodz, PolandPlate fin-tube heat exchangers are widely used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems and other industry fields. Various errors made in the manufacturing process can result in the formation of an air gap between the tube and fin. Several numerical simulations were carried out for a symmetric section of plate fin-tube heat exchanger to study the influence of air gap on heat transfer under periodic flow conditions. Different locations and sizes of an air gap spanning 1/2 circumference of the tube were considered for the range of airflow velocities. Velocity and temperature fields for cases with air gap were compared with ideal thermal contact cases. Blocking of heat flow by the gap leads to the reduction of heat transfer rate. Fin discontinuity in the front of the tube causes the smallest reduction of the heat transfer rate in comparison to the ideal tube-fin contact, especially for thin slits. The rear gap position is the worst in the smallest gap range. Therefore, reversing the flow direction can lead to up to a 15% heat transfer increase, if mainly the rear gaps are present. The introduction of a thin slit in the front of the tube leads to convective heat transfer enhancement, which should be further investigated.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/13/3779heat exchangerplate-fin tubetube-fin contactCFD |
| spellingShingle | Marcin Łęcki Dariusz Andrzejewski Artur N. Gutkowski Grzegorz Górecki Study of the Influence of the Lack of Contact in Plate and Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger on Heat Transfer Efficiency under Periodic Flow Conditions Energies heat exchanger plate-fin tube tube-fin contact CFD |
| title | Study of the Influence of the Lack of Contact in Plate and Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger on Heat Transfer Efficiency under Periodic Flow Conditions |
| title_full | Study of the Influence of the Lack of Contact in Plate and Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger on Heat Transfer Efficiency under Periodic Flow Conditions |
| title_fullStr | Study of the Influence of the Lack of Contact in Plate and Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger on Heat Transfer Efficiency under Periodic Flow Conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Study of the Influence of the Lack of Contact in Plate and Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger on Heat Transfer Efficiency under Periodic Flow Conditions |
| title_short | Study of the Influence of the Lack of Contact in Plate and Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger on Heat Transfer Efficiency under Periodic Flow Conditions |
| title_sort | study of the influence of the lack of contact in plate and fin and tube heat exchanger on heat transfer efficiency under periodic flow conditions |
| topic | heat exchanger plate-fin tube tube-fin contact CFD |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/13/3779 |
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