Annals of the Assembly for International Heat Transfer Conference 13

ISBN 1-56700-225-0 / CD 1-56700-226-9

Year 2006

S. Ravi Annapragada
Purdue University, USA

Vijay R. Raghavan
College University Technology Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia

In the present work, numerical modeling was used to study the local behavior of flow and energy variables to understand the underlying physics in a Finned Tube Cooler. The cooler under consideration is a single circular-fin air cooler tube confined in a duct. The optimizations of fin pitch and fin clearance as predicted by Rangan et al. (2003) have been elucidated based on the underlying physical principles involved. The model was further applied to study the augmentation of heat transfer and suppression of pumping power due to symmetric radial slits on the fin surface. Reversal of heat transfer direction is seen in the wake of the tube in the case of an unserrated fin. Radial slits reduce this region by aiding mixing of the flow. The heat transfer performance of the fin is enhanced by 5% by placing symmetric radial slits at the onset of flow separation in comparison against an unserrated heat exchanger. But the pumping power requirements also increase at a similar rate.

HTE-13 pages DOI: 10.1615/IHTC13.p17.130 Download article

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