Experimental heat transfer investigations of a double pipe U-tube heat exchanger equipped with twisted tape and cut twisted tape internals

• Main Authors: Maloth, Raj Kumar Nayak, DSouza, Glen Cletus, Patra, Swarna Mayee
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Boundary layers; Counterflow; Fluid flow; Heat exchangers; Heat transfer; Inserts; Mass flow rate; Physical properties; Pipes; Pressure drop; Space heating; Tube heat exchangers; Tubes
• ISSN: 0094-243X; 1551-7616
• DOI: 10.1063/5.0068686

For several decades, the use of heat exchangers for both heating and cooling applications has been established in industries ranging from process to space heating. Out of the various types of heat exchangers, U-tube heat exchangers are preferred owing to their abilities to handle larger flowrates and their simplicity in construction. U-tube exchangers are often equipped with innards of various forms which facilitate higher heat transfer rates and thermal efficiencies. Although higher heat transfer rates have been established with the addition of internals, there is a lack of coherence on the underlying complex physical phenomena such as heat transfer boundary layers and turbulence characteristics. In the current study, the effect of twisted and cut-twisted tape inserts on heat transfer enhancement and pressure drop in a counter flow double pipe U-tube heat exchanger has been investigated using experimental approach. This has been compared with bare tubes in the absence of internals. Physical parameters such as heat transfer rate, pressure drop, Nusselt number are determined for a range of mass flow rates.