Journal of Enhanced Heat Transfer Theory and Application in High Performance Heat and Mass Transfer

ISSN for PRINT: 1065-5131

For Online Access

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2007, Volume14

Issue 4

111 pages

DOI: 10.1615/JEnhHeatTransf.v14.i4

Issue price - $160.00

Y. B. Tao
State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering, School of Energy & Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an Shaan xi 710049, China

Ya-Ling He
School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University,

Z. G. Wu
State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering, School of Energy & Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an Shaan xi 710049, China

Wen-Quan Tao
Experimental Center of Thermal & Fluid Science, School of Energy & Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University

In this paper, a 3D numerical investigation of the air side performance of the wavy fin surface is presented with the body-fitted coordinates. Results from local Nusselt number distributions on the whole wavy fin and plain plate fin surfaces show that the local Nusselt number decreases quickly along the flow direction and the values at the upstream are about 10 times of those at the downstream. Based on the results, a new type of the fin surface pattern with a wave located only in the upstream part (fin B) is proposed, and then the comparison of the new fin pattern with the whole wavy fin (fin A) and whole plain plate fin (fin C) is presented. The results show that within the range of the Reynolds number studied, the Nusselt number for fin B is only about 4% lower than for fin A and about 45% higher than for fin C; but the friction factor of fin B is about 18% lower than for fin A and only about 26% higher than for fin C. The comparison at the identical Re number shows that fin B has the best comprehensive performance among the three types of fins, followed by fin C and fin A. Within the range of the Re number studied, compared to fin C, the increased percentage of Nu/f of fin B ranges from 12.4% to 18.5%; compared to fin A, this percentage varies from 14.9% to 20%. It also can be seen that under the identical pressure drop constraint, fin B has the best performance too, followed by fin A and fin C. And under the identical pumping power constraint, fin B has the similar performances to fin A, and both of them are superior to fin C.

DOI: 10.1615/JEnhHeatTransf.v14.i4.50 Download article, 315-332 pages

Article price - $35.00

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