MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR AIR FLOW IN HEAT EXCHANGER SINUSOIDAL FINS

Angela PLEA, Dan OPRUA, Monica BALCU, Paula UNGUREAN

UNIVERSITATEA TEHNIC DIN CLUJ-NAPOCA

Rezumat. Aceast lucrare prezint un model matematic de calcul termic i fluidodinamic specific pentru curgerea aerului prin canale cu nervuri ondulate sinusoidale. Acest model este aplicat pe un set de schimb toare de cldur testate n acest scop. Caracteristicile de transfer termic sunt determinate prin numrul Stanton, factorul Colburn i numrul Nussel, n timp ce caracteristicile fluidodinamice sunt exprimate prin viteza de deplasare a aerului, numrul Reynolds corespunz tor i coeficientul de rezisten la frecare. Cuvinte cheie: sinusoidal fin, heat exchanger, thermal parameters, flow. Abstract. The mathematical model for the thermal calculus and the flow through a compact heat exchanger with plate and sinusoidal fins is presented. In order to test the method a lot of different geometry of the heat exchangers was used. The thermal characteristics are given by Stanton number, Colburn factor and Nusselt number. They were calculated using measured values of the flow parameters. The flow parameters are the velocity, the Reynolds number and the friction coefficient. A comparison between the calculated values and the measured values obtained on the testing in experimental stand was made. Key words: sinusoidal fin, heat exchanger, thermal parameters, flow.

1. INTRODUCTION
The geometry of a heat exchanger has a major importance in obtaining better performances, such as a high thermal transfer coefficient and a low pressure loss. In order to generate the mathematical model for the calculus of the flow and thermal parameters in sinusoidal fins some geometries were designed. The geometry of the fins is presented in figure 1 and the its dimensions are presented in figure 2,
gw hw gn hn

Laer

pn

Fig. 2. The dimensions of the air channel.

The method presented in this paper was developed by the authors and was the based of a dedicated software for designing the plate and fins heat exchangers. The software was tested on an experimental stand, also designed by the authors [1].

2. THE MATHEMATICAL MODEL

We consider the geometry of a plate and fins heat exchanger having plane channels for hot thermal agent 1, and sinusoidal fins for the crossed forced air flow 2. The temperature for the input and output agent in the heat exchanger and their flow rates were determined on the experimental stand. Some parameters such as the global thermal coefficient, the thermal flux of the heat exchangers and the temperature of the thermal transfer wall of the hot water channel (tp1), were also experimental determined.
TERMOTEHNICA

Fig. 1. Sinusoidal fin.

22

2/2009

Angela PLEA, Dan OPRUA, Monica BALCU, Paula UNGUREAN

Using the thermal convective transfer equation (1) the temperature of the air channel wall (tp2), can also be determined:

Q = q S =

( t p1 t p 2 ) S , [ W] (1) ( t p1 t p 2 ) S = Rt

where: R t = , [m 2 K / W] is the thermal resistance of

the wall; = gw is the thickness of the wall (in mm). As the hot watter convective coefficient and the global transfer coefficient for the sinusoidal air passage are known, (k2), using equation (2) the reduced air convective coefficient, (2k) was determined:
k2 = 1 , [W / m 2 K] A2 1 1 p + + 2k A1 1 p

Also Nusselt and Reynolds numbers depend of the hydraulic dyameter of the air flow channels. Due to the small dimensions of the flow channels the heat exchangers can be design to work in laminar flow. In this case the fins are planar without any perforations or interruptions. Mostly all the heat exchangers are design and adpted on the experimental corellations. These corellations can be graphical express, or they can by simple equations, depending Reynolds number, such as: j = a Re b (10)

The thermal transfer characteristics are given by Stanton number, Colburn factor and Nusselt number:

(2)

Nu 2 c = C Re 2 c Pr

1/ 3

d 2 ech L d aer

Cf z

(11)

Using Newton equation the forced convective coefficient for the air wall channel becomes:
Q = 2 S( t p 2 t aer ), [ W ]

(3)

The connection between the two coefficients is: 2k = 2 2 2 2 2k = 0 where: 2 = 1 A n2 (1 n 2 ) A2 (5) (4)

where C is a constant, x, y and z depends of the heat exchanger type and Cf is a coefficient depending of the geometry of the channel. Some sinusoidal fin characteristics such as: air velocity (w2c), Reynolds number (Re2), friction coefficient (f2 = cf ) were determined. For some heat exchangers having profiled fins, input and output parameters represents a small amount from the total pressure loss [3]. In these cases the friction coefficient (cf) is:
p = c f
2 A w L w2 = 4 cf S1 2 de 2

is the efficiency of the sinusoidal surface and:

n2 = Qn th (m h n ) = Q n id mhn

(12)

(6)

is the efficiency of the fin.

m=

2 2 1 , [m ] nn

(7)

where: de is the equivalent dyameter; U the perimeter and L the lenght of the flow channel. For compact plate and fins heat exchangers the values for the friction coefficient cf , can be graphical or experimental determine

cf = f 2 = f (Re) = m Re

(13)

represents the thermal load of the fin. The air convective coefficient (2) and the performances of the sinusoidal surface were determined using the above equations. It is very important that equation (4) to be respected. The thermal transfer depends of the Reynolds number, de the geometry parameters of the fin, the entering angle of the jet. Every time it is given by the dependence between Colburn and Reynolds numbers, as it is in equation [2]:
__

m and n coefficients give the variation between friction coefficient and Reynolds number for a specific fin geometry.

3. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
The mathematical model was applied to some different geometry of heat exchangers, with the channel lenght Laer= 30, 45, 65, 95 i 115 mm and fin pitch pn=4 and 6,5 mm. The turbulence generated by the crossing of the air jets and also by the changing of the velocity field due to the sinusoidal shape of the channel increase the convective heat transfer. As the channel lenght Laer increase the velocity and the turbulence decreases. At the same time the convective transfer will decrease also. For a Laer constant, Nusselt number will be influenced bt convective flux ( 2 ) , increasing as Reynolds number increase (fig. 4).
23

j=

___

m cp

Pr

2/3

Nu
1/ 3

Re Pr

= St Pr

2/3

(8)

where represents the thermal transfer coefficient at the surface (= 2) and St represents Stanton criteria:
St 2 = Nu 2 2 = Re 2 Pr 2 c p w 2
2/2009

(9)

TERMOTEHNICA

MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR AIR FLOW IN HEAT EXCHANGER SINUSOIDAL FINS

2-30
240

0.19

2-45 2-65 2-95 2-115

0.17

[W/m K]

200

f2c-45

f2c-30 f2c-65

160

f2

0.15 0.13

120

0.11
80

f2c-115

0.09
500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000

Re 2

0.07 700

f2c-95
1000 2000 5000

Fig. 3. Air convective coefficient for different Reynolds number, for pn = 6,5 mm and variable Laer.
50

Re2c

Fig. 6. Friction coefficient (f2) for pn= 4 mm.

Nu 30-4

Nu 45-4 Nu 65-4 Nu 95-4 Nu 115-4

4. CONCLUSIONS
Sinusoidal fin surfaces generate small lenght of the flow, wich means large thermal transfer conductances. Brakings in the thermal transfer surfaces improve the thermal transfer due to two different aspects: they prevent the growth of the boundary layer ; for values of Reynolds number higher than the critical value, the braked surfaces generates a improvement of the thermal transfer due to the flow oscillations wich permits the appearance of the vortices. The boundary layer is changing for this kind of geometry and leaves the wall, generating vortices. The mathematical model presented in this paper permits the study of the influence of the convective heat transfer due to Colburn factor (j), and also the thermal performances of the sinusoidal fins due to the friction coefficient.

Nu2
20 10 600

1000

2000

Re 2c

5000

Fig. 4. Nusselt in funcion of Reynolds number for pn = 4 mm and variable Laer.

The dependence between Colburn and Reynolds numbers for air flow in a channel is presented in Fig. 5. For for pn= 4 mm and also 6,5 mm heat exchangers the friction coefficient decreases as Reynolds number increases for Laer = ct. (fig. 6).
0.018

0.016

j2 c

j2c-30
0.014

5. REFERENCES
j2c-45

0.012

j2c-115
0.01

j2c-65 j2c-95

0.008 700

1000

2000

5000

Re 2c

Fig. 5. Colburn function for pn= 4 mm.

[1] Angela Plea, Researches regarding plate and fins heat exchangers used in thermal equipments, The doctoral book, Univ. Tehnic Cluj-Napoca, 2007 [2] Nagi, M., Negru, I.D. Cercetri privind perfecionarea sub aspect funcional al schimbtoarelor de cdur compacte din aluminiu, cu nervuri ondulate, destinate motoarelor cu ardere intern, Conf.nat. term. Timioara 1994, Vol.II, pg.74. [3] Oprua Dan, Vaida Liviu, Plea Angela, The flow simulation through a hydraulic rezistance, Annals of DAAAM for 2008 & Proceedings oct. 2008, Trnava, Slovakia, Ed.B. KATALINIC, pp. 995-996, ISSN 1726-9679

24

TERMOTEHNICA

2/2009