Internal Flow Analysis of a Heat Transfer Enhanced Tube with a Segmented Twisted Tape Insert

A heat exchanger is a device that transfers unneeded heat from one region to another, and transferred heat may be fully reused, thus improving energy efficiency. To augment this positive process, many studies and investigations on automation technologies have been performed. Inserts are widely used...

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Main Authors: Gan Liu, Chen Yang, Junhui Zhang, Huaizhi Zong, Bing Xu, Jin-yuan Qian
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-01-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/1/207
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author Gan Liu
Chen Yang
Junhui Zhang
Huaizhi Zong
Bing Xu
Jin-yuan Qian
author_facet Gan Liu
Chen Yang
Junhui Zhang
Huaizhi Zong
Bing Xu
Jin-yuan Qian
author_sort Gan Liu
collection DOAJ
description A heat exchanger is a device that transfers unneeded heat from one region to another, and transferred heat may be fully reused, thus improving energy efficiency. To augment this positive process, many studies and investigations on automation technologies have been performed. Inserts are widely used in pipe flow for heat transfer enhancement, since they can break the boundary layer and promote the heat exchange. Segmented twisted tape, which is applicable in 3D printing, is a novel insert and has potential in heat transfer enhancement. To clarify its advantages and disadvantages, this research presents a numerical investigation of vortex flow and heat enhancement in pipes containing one segmented twisted element. Flow state and heat transfer behaviour are obtained by simulation under constant wall temperature with different Reynolds numbers, ranging from 10,000 to 35,000. The effects of geometric parameters, including twist ratio (<i>P/D</i> = 2.0, 3.3 and 4.6) and length ratio (<i>L/P</i> = 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7), on the Nusselt number (<i>Nu</i>) and friction factor (<i>f</i>) are investigated. Streamline and temperature distribution are presented. Meanwhile, local and overall heat transfer performance is compared with those of a smooth tube, and the overall performance is evaluated by performance evaluation factor (<i>&#951;</i>). The results indicate that the twist ratio (<i>P/D</i>) plays a dominant role in heat transfer enhancement while the length ratio (<i>L/P</i>) also has considerable influence. It is shown that a segmented tape insert can increase the overall heat transfer rate by 23.5% and the friction factor by 235%, while local improvement along the tube can be 2.8 times more than the plain tube.
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spelling doaj.art-aaa6c79132d342e594e687f106f77d0e2022-12-22T04:00:04ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732020-01-0113120710.3390/en13010207en13010207Internal Flow Analysis of a Heat Transfer Enhanced Tube with a Segmented Twisted Tape InsertGan Liu0Chen Yang1Junhui Zhang2Huaizhi Zong3Bing Xu4Jin-yuan Qian5State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaInstitute of Process Equipment, College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaInstitute of Process Equipment, College of Energy Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaA heat exchanger is a device that transfers unneeded heat from one region to another, and transferred heat may be fully reused, thus improving energy efficiency. To augment this positive process, many studies and investigations on automation technologies have been performed. Inserts are widely used in pipe flow for heat transfer enhancement, since they can break the boundary layer and promote the heat exchange. Segmented twisted tape, which is applicable in 3D printing, is a novel insert and has potential in heat transfer enhancement. To clarify its advantages and disadvantages, this research presents a numerical investigation of vortex flow and heat enhancement in pipes containing one segmented twisted element. Flow state and heat transfer behaviour are obtained by simulation under constant wall temperature with different Reynolds numbers, ranging from 10,000 to 35,000. The effects of geometric parameters, including twist ratio (<i>P/D</i> = 2.0, 3.3 and 4.6) and length ratio (<i>L/P</i> = 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7), on the Nusselt number (<i>Nu</i>) and friction factor (<i>f</i>) are investigated. Streamline and temperature distribution are presented. Meanwhile, local and overall heat transfer performance is compared with those of a smooth tube, and the overall performance is evaluated by performance evaluation factor (<i>&#951;</i>). The results indicate that the twist ratio (<i>P/D</i>) plays a dominant role in heat transfer enhancement while the length ratio (<i>L/P</i>) also has considerable influence. It is shown that a segmented tape insert can increase the overall heat transfer rate by 23.5% and the friction factor by 235%, while local improvement along the tube can be 2.8 times more than the plain tube.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/1/207numerical simulationsegmented twisted tapetwist ratiolength ratioheat transfer enhancement
spellingShingle Gan Liu
Chen Yang
Junhui Zhang
Huaizhi Zong
Bing Xu
Jin-yuan Qian
Internal Flow Analysis of a Heat Transfer Enhanced Tube with a Segmented Twisted Tape Insert
Energies
numerical simulation
segmented twisted tape
twist ratio
length ratio
heat transfer enhancement
title Internal Flow Analysis of a Heat Transfer Enhanced Tube with a Segmented Twisted Tape Insert
title_full Internal Flow Analysis of a Heat Transfer Enhanced Tube with a Segmented Twisted Tape Insert
title_fullStr Internal Flow Analysis of a Heat Transfer Enhanced Tube with a Segmented Twisted Tape Insert
title_full_unstemmed Internal Flow Analysis of a Heat Transfer Enhanced Tube with a Segmented Twisted Tape Insert
title_short Internal Flow Analysis of a Heat Transfer Enhanced Tube with a Segmented Twisted Tape Insert
title_sort internal flow analysis of a heat transfer enhanced tube with a segmented twisted tape insert
topic numerical simulation
segmented twisted tape
twist ratio
length ratio
heat transfer enhancement
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/1/207
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AT huaizhizong internalflowanalysisofaheattransferenhancedtubewithasegmentedtwistedtapeinsert
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