skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Turbulent heat transfer enhancement by counter/co-swirling flow in a tube fitted with twin twisted tapes

Journal Article · · Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science
 [1]; ;  [2]
  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahanakorn University of Technology, Bangkok 10530 (Thailand)
  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520 (Thailand)

In the present study, the influences of twin-counter/co-twisted tapes (counter/co-swirl tape) on heat transfer rate (Nu), friction factor (f) and thermal enhancement index ({eta}) are experimentally determined. The twin counter twisted tapes (CTs) are used as counter-swirl flow generators while twin co-twisted tapes (CoTs) are used as co-swirl flow generators in a test section. The tests are conducted using the CTs and CoTs with four different twist ratios (y/w = 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0) for Reynolds numbers range between 3700 and 21,000 under uniform heat flux conditions. The experiments using the single twisted tape (ST) are also performed under similar operation test conditions, for comparison. The experimental results demonstrate that Nusselt number (Nu), friction factor (f) and thermal enhancement index ({eta}) increase with decreasing twist ratio (y/w). The results also show that the CTs are more efficient than the CoTs for heat transfer enhancement. In the range of the present work, heat transfer rates in the tube fitted with the CTs are around 12.5-44.5% and 17.8-50% higher than those with the CoTs and ST, respectively. The maximum thermal enhancement indices ({eta}) obtained at the constant pumping power by the CTs with y/w = 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0, are 1.39, 1.24, 1.12 and 1.03, respectively, while those obtained by using the CoTs with the same range of y/w are 1.1, 1.03, 0.97 and 0.92, respectively. In addition, the empirical correlations of the heat transfer (Nu), friction factor (f) and thermal enhancement index ({eta}) are also reported. (author)

OSTI ID:
21248833
Journal Information:
Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, Vol. 34, Issue 1; Other Information: Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved; ISSN 0894-1777
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English