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Performance of Air-Cooled Heat Exchanger With Laminar, Transitional, and Turbulent Tube Flow
Performance of Air-Cooled Heat Exchanger With Laminar, Transitional, and Turbulent Tube Flow
1051/matecconf/201824002012
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Abstract. Some air-cooled heat exchangers, especially in air conditioning and heating installations, heat
pumps, as well as car radiators, work in a wide range of loads when the liquid flow in the tubes can be
laminar, transitional or turbulent. In this paper, a semi-empirical and empirical relationship for the Nusselt
number on the liquid-side in the transitional and turbulent range was derived. The friction factor in the
transition flow range Re w, trb Re w Re w, tre was calculated by linear interpolation between the values of
the friction factor for Rew,trb 2,100 and Rew,tre 3,000 . Based on experimental data for a car radiator,
empirical heat transfer relationships for the air and water-side were found by using the least squares method.
The water temperature at the outlet of the heat exchanger was calculated using P-NTU (effectiveness-
number of transfer units) method. The heat flow rate from water to air was calculated as a function of the
water flow rate to compare it with the experimental results. The theoretical and empirical correlation for the
water-side Nusselt number developed in the paper were used when determining the heat flow rate. The
calculation results agree very well with the results of the measurements.
*
Corresponding author: dtaler@pk.edu.pl
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
MATEC Web of Conferences 240, 02012 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201824002012
ICCHMT 2018
pass car radiator has two rows of round tubes. There are
twenty tubes in the first pass, ten in each row, i.e. nu =
2 Performance calculations of the 10. The number of tubes in the second pass is smaller
investigated PFTHE and is eighteen, nine in each row, i.e. nl = 9. The tube
arrangement is in-line. Water flows in parallel through
Performance calculations of the investigated PFTHE, the first and second row of tubes in both first and second
i.e., determining the temperature of the water and air at pass. Between the first and second pass, there is a
the outlets of the investigated heat exchanger was chamber in which water from the first and second row of
conducted using the P-NTU method. tubes is mixed and then flows into the second pass. The
a) flow arrangement of an automobile radiator is shown in
Fig. 1. The internal diameter of the tube with the wall
thickness t = 0.5 mm is din = 6.2 mm. The transverse
pitch of the tube arrangement is equal to p1 = 18.5 mm,
and the longitudinal pitch is p2 = 10 mm. The plate fins
with a thickness of 0.08 mm are set on tubes with the
pitch of 1.5 mm. Dimensions of the heat exchanger are
as follows: length Lch = 520 mm, height HLch = 359 mm,
and thickness Wch = 2p2 = 24 mm. The mean water Tcm
and air temperature Tum after the first pass and after the
second pass Tw and Tlm (Fig. 1) were calculated using
the P-NTU (Effectiveness - Number of Transfer Units)
method.
The mean water Tcm and air temperature Tum after the
first pass and after the second pass Tw and Tlm (Fig. 1)
were calculated using the P-NTU (Effectiveness -
Number of Transfer Units) method.
Formulas for calculating the water-side effectiveness
Pw and air-side effectiveness Pa were derived based on
the mathematical model of the heat exchanger developed
by Taler [13].
The numbers of heat transfer units for water NTU w
and air NTUa are defined in relation to one tube located
in the first (upper) or second (lower) pass. The numbers
of transfer units are as follows
first (upper) pass
U o, u Ao U o, u Ao
b) Na, u , N w, u u (1)
ma , t c p , a mw, t c p , w
second (lower) pass
U o , l Ao U o, l Ao
Na, l N w, l (2)
ma , t c p , a mwl , t c p , w
The mass flow rate ma, t w0 p2 Lch a Tam
in Eq.
(1) and (2) denotes the air mass flow rate per one pitch
p2 (through the cross-section p2Lch). Similarly, the
water mass flow rates mwu , t and mwl , t per one tube are
mw m
mwu , t and mwl , t w , respectively.
2 nu 2 nl
Fig. 1. Flow arrangement of the two-row car radiator with two The numbers of heat transfer units in the first pass for
passes; a) front and top view, b) flow system; 1 – the first tube air and water are defined by
row in the first (upper) pass, 2 – the second tube row in the first T T T T
(upper) pass; 3 – the first tube row in the second (lower) pass, Pa , u um am Pw, u cm w (3)
4 – the second tube row in the the second (lower) pass.
Tw Tam
Tw Tam
The following formulas were obtained using the
Thermo-hydraulic tests of air-cooled plate fin-and- mathematical model of the exchanger presented in the
tube heat exchanger were carried out in a laminar, paper [13]
transition and turbulent flow regime of water in the
tubes. The tested PFTHE was a car radiator for a spark
engine with a displacement volume of 1,600 cm3. Two-
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MATEC Web of Conferences 240, 02012 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201824002012
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N w, u N The air mass flow rate ml through the lower
Bu 1 e a,u (6)
Na, u (second) heat exchanger pass is
nl
The water temperature Tcm at the outlet from the first ml ma (18)
pass as well as the average air temperature Tum after the nu nl
first pass can be determined using only the formula (5) The mean temperature of the air Tam after the heat
for water-side effectiveness Pw,u. The temperature Tcm exchanger is calculated from the formula
can be obtained from the definition (3) nu nl
Tam
Tum Tlm (19)
Tcm Tw Pw, u Tw Tam
(7) nu nl nu nl
If the temperature of the water Tw at the exit from
where Pw,u is calculated using the relationship (5).
Solving the heat balance equation for the upper pass the heat exchanger is known, then the temperature of the
air after the heat exchanger Tam can also be determined
mw cw Tw Tcm mu c p, a Tum
Tam (8) from the heat balance equation for the exchanger (Fig. 1)
gives the air temperature Tum mw cw Tw Tw ma cpa Tam
Tam (20)
mw cw gives
Tum Tam
Tw Tcm (9)
Solving Eq. (20) for Tam
mu c p , a mw cw
Tam
Tam Tw Tw (21)
The air mass flow rate mu through the upper heat ma c pa
exchanger pass is The presented procedure for calculating the water
nu and air outlet temperature based on the P-NTU method
mu ma (10) can also be applied to other types of heat exchangers
nu nl
with different flow systems. Many relationships for
With the known temperature Tcm, the liquid calculating the effectiveness P as a function of the
temperature Tw at the heat exchanger outlet and the air number of transfer units NTU can be found in the books
mean temperature Tlm behind the second pass can be on the heat exchangers [1-4].
determined similarly. The air-side and water side- Overall heat transfer coefficients ho,l and ho,u referred to
effectiveness of the second pass is defined as the outer surface area of the bare tube for the lower and
upper pass are given by
T T T Tw
Pa , l lm am Pw, l cm (11) 1 1 ro ro ro 1
Tcm Tam Tcm Tam ln (22)
U o, l hw, l rin kt rin ho
The relationships for Pa,l and Pw,l are as follows
2 1 e Bl 1 ro ro ro 1
N 1
Pa , l 1 e a , l e Bl ln (23)
Bl U o , u hw, u rin kt rin ho
(12)
Bl
2 N a , l 1 e The effective heat transfer coefficient ho taking into
1 e account the presence of fins, based on the surface area of
Bl
the bare tube was determined using the following
1 e e
N w, l Na , l 2
relationship
Pw, l 1 e Bl Bl
(13)
2 Na, l Abf Af
ho f ha (24)
where the symbol Bl denotes o
A Ao
N w, l N The continuous fin was divided into 38 rectangular
Bl 1 e a ,l (14)
Na, l fins due to the symmetry of the temperature field in the
continuous fin. The fin efficiency f was determined
The water temperature Tw at the outlet from the
assuming that the air-side heat transfer coefficient ha is
second pass and the average air temperature Tlm after the constant. With this assumption, the fin efficiency f can
second pass can be determined using the relationships be determined using the formula
(11) for the air-side effectiveness Pa,l and water-side T fin T f
effectiveness Pw,l. The water temperature Tw at the f (25)
Tb T f
outlet from the second pass is
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MATEC Web of Conferences 240, 02012 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201824002012
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MATEC Web of Conferences 240, 02012 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201824002012
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cross-section between two neighboring tubes located in Taler [8] determined the Nusselt number for the
the same row. All physical air properties in Eq. (28) turbulent flow in the tube as a function of Prandtl and
were evaluated at the average temperature Reynolds numbers by integrating the energy
Tam Tam / 2 .
Tam conservation equation assuming a radial velocity
distribution determined experimentally. Using the
Nusselt number values obtained by Taler [8], the
2.2 Liquid-side heat transfer correlation correlation for transitional and turbulent flow on the
water-side was found by the method of least squares.
In this section, heat transfer correlations for laminar The friction factor w was evaluated using the explicit
flow as well as for transition and turbulent flow in tubes relationship proposed by Taler [12] for turbulent flow
used in the mathematical model of the exchanger are regime. In this paper, the relationship proposed by Taler
presented. The average Nusselt number Num,q for [8] was generalized to the following form
Nu w Nu m , q Re w,trb
hydraulically and thermally developing laminar fluid
flow in a tube with the uniform wall heat flux, which
w
usually occurs in heat exchangers was used. The
following formula recommended by the VDI Heat Atlas 8
Re w Re w,trb Prw1.008
[7] was applied w
Nu m , q 1.084 12.4
8
Prw2/3 1
Nu 3m , q ,1 0.63 Nu m , q , 2 0.6 Nu 3m , q ,3 din
3 1/3 2/3
(29) 1 , (33)
Re w Re w,trb L
Re w,trb Re w 106
The limit value of the Reynolds number Rew,trb, in d in
0.1 Prw 1000, 1
which the laminar flow ends, and the transitional starts, L
is usually taken as 2300 [7] or 2100 [14-15]. However, The friction factor in Eq. (36) is given by the following
recent experimental studies [10-11] show that the limit relationships
value of the Reynolds number Rew,trb is influenced by the turbulent flow regime [12]
type and shape of the inlet to the tube.
w 1.2776log Rew 0.406
2.246
The symbol Num,q,1 in Eq. (29) denotes the mean Nusselt
number for hydrodynamically and thermally fully (34)
3,000 Rew 106
developed flow
48 transitional flow regime
Nu m , q ,1 4.364 , Re w Re w,trb (30) w 0.030476 1.45216 105 Re w 2100
11
(35)
The Lévêque solution [16] Num,q,2 denotes the mean 2.1 103 Re w 3 103
Nusselt number for hydrodynamically and thermally
fully developed flow over the plate with a linear The formula (35) for the friction factor results from
temperature profile in the fluid and constant heat flux at linear interpolation between w = 64/Rew for laminar
the wall surface flow at Rew = 2100 and turbulent friction factor given by
1/3 Eq.(34) at Rew = 3000.
d
Nu m,q,2 31/3 2 / 3 Re w Prw in The water-side Reynolds number Rew = wwdin/w is based
L on the inner diameter of the circular tube.
(31)
din
1/3 The inner diameter of the tubes was din = 6.2 mm. The
1.9530 Re w Prw , Re w Re w,trb
L
physical properties of the water were determined at the
mean temperature Tw Tw Tw / 2 .
Eq. (31) was derived by Lévêque [16] using the local
Nusselt number for small values of the parameter In the relationship (35) there is a Reynolds number
(x/din)/(RewPrw), where x is the distance from the tube Rew,trb, at which the transitional flow begins. It was
inlet. assumed that Rew,trb = 2100. The heat transfer correlation
The Nusselt number Num,q,3 appearing in the (33) can also be used when the transitional flow regime
correlation developed for a tube with a constant wall starts at other values of the Reynolds number [10-11]. In
heat flux is given by heat exchangers, the influence of free convection inside
1/ 2 tubes is negligibly small. Natural convection in
d
Nu m , q , 3 0.924 Prw1/3 Re w in horizontal pipes occurs due to the temperature difference
L (32) of the liquid inside the pipe. The temperature of the fluid
Re w Re w,trb in the central part of the tube cross-section is different
The relationship (32) was obtained by an than near its inner surface. The formation of natural
approximation of Nusselt numbers obtained from a convection is favored by the large diameter and length of
numerical solution of the momentum and energy the pipe and the high heat flux at the inner surface of the
conservation equations assuming a uniform velocity and pipe. In heat exchangers, there are usually several
temperature profiles at the inlet of the tube. passes. Between two neighboring passes, there are
reversible chambers or bends, in which the fluid is
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MATEC Web of Conferences 240, 02012 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201824002012
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to air was calculated as follows m/s, Tam = 8.24C, Tw = 70.56°C; 1 – heat flow rate Qw,exp
Qw,calc Vw w Tw cw Tw Tw , (37) determined experimentally, 2 – heat flow rate Qw,calc
where Vw - volume flow rate measured at the inlet of the calculated using the P-NTU method with theoretical
heat exchanger, Tw -measured temperature at the inlet of relationship (33) for Nuw , 3 - heat flow rate Q3 Qw,calc
the heat exchanger, Tw - calculated temperature at the calculated using the P-NTU method and theoretical
relationship (33) for Nuw using the mean values of measured
outlet of the heat exchanger, c w -mean specific heat
, Tw , and Nu m,q
quantities w0 , Tam 9.62 , 4 – heat
capacity in the range from Tw to Tw . Rew,trb2100
The temperature Tw was evaluated using the formula flow rate Q4 Qw,calc calculated using the P-NTU method and
(15). The air-side Nusselt Nua number was calculated empirical relationship (36) for Nuw using the mean values of
using the correlation (27) and the water-side Nusselt measured quantities w0 , Tam , Tw , and x3 10.49 , 5 - relative
number Nuw was obtained from the empirical correlation
(36) or the theoretical formula (33). If the Reynolds
difference Q between Q3 and Q 4 Q
100 Q3 Q4 / Q3 .
number Rew is less than 2100, the water-side heat , and Tw from the measurement
Then the mean values w0 , Tam
transfer coefficient was calculated using the relationship series were calculated and used in the P-NTU method to
(29). The measured volumetric flow rate Vw at the inlet determine Qw, calc as a function of the volumetric flow rate V w .
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MATEC Web of Conferences 240, 02012 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201824002012
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of the heat exchanger, as well as the measured inlet = Rew,trb and Rew = Rew,tre. It should be emphasized that
water temperature Tw and the outlet temperature of the proposed semi-empirical water-side heat transfer
correlation may be used for different, experimentally
water Tw , were used for calculating the heat flow rate
determined values of Rew,trb and Rew,tre, not only for
Qw,exp Rew,trb = 2100 and Rew,tre = 3000. The linear interpolation
of the friction factor in the transitional flow regime
Qw,exp Vw w Tw cw Tw Tw
meas
(38) requires the knowledge of Rew,trb and Rew,tre. The
proposed theoretical and empirical water-side
where: w - water density, c w - mean specific heat of the correlations ensure the continuity of the Nusselt number
water between Tw and Tw . at the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. The heat
The relative difference Q between the calculated heat flow rates calculated using the P-NTU method with new
heat transfer correlations agreed very well with the heat
flow rate Qw, calc and the heat flow rate Qw,exp was flow rates determined experimentally. The new water-
determined as follows side relationships for the friction factor and Nusselt
number in transitional and turbulent flow regime
Qw, calc Qw,exp
Q 100% (39) proposed in the paper can be used in a wide range of
Qw, calc load changes. The liquid flow regime in tubes can vary
The comparisons of the calculated and measured heat from laminar through transitional to turbulent, and vice
flow rates are shown in Fig. 3. versa. The heat transfer coefficient at the tube inner
surface is a continuous function of the Reynolds number
The relative difference values Q shown in Fig. 3
without sudden variations during the change of the
were calculated for each measurement series. The heat
laminar to transition or transition to the turbulent flow
flow rate Qw, calc in Eq. (39) was calculated using the P- regime. Due to the continuity of variations in the water-
NTU method, in which the input data was the air side heat transfer coefficient, the fluid temperature at the
velocity w0 , the volume flow rate V w , the air outlet of the heat exchanger or the heat flow rate
transferred from hot to the cold fluid can be adjusted
temperature Tam and water temperature Tw . The heat smoothly by changing the rotational speed of the pump,
flow rate Qw, calc is indicated in Figure 3 with empty i.e., by changing the volume flow rate of the liquid.
circles (entry no. 2).
The Qw, calc values were evaluated using theoretical References
correlation (33) for Nuw (solid line in Figure 3, entry no. 1. W.M. Kays, A.L. London, Compact Heat
3) and empirical correlation (36) (point curve in Figure Exchangers, 3rd ed. (Krieger, Malabar, Florida,
3, entry no. 4) and used for determining Q by Eq. (39) USA, 1998)
(dashed line in Figure 3, entry no. 5). 2. S. Kakaç, H. Liu, A. Pramuanjaroenkij, Heat
An inspection of the results presented in Figure 3, shows Exchangers. Selection, Rating, and Thermal
that the application of the semi-empirical correlation Design, 3rd ed. (CRC-Taylor & Francis Group, Boca
(33) [9] for the water-side Nusselt number in transitional Raton, USA, 2012)
and turbulent flow regime gives very satisfactory 3. R.K. Shah, D.P. Sekulić, Fundamentals of Heat
agreement between calculated and experimental values. Exchanger Design (Wiley, Hoboken, USA, 2003)
Also, the differences between calculated and
4. T. Kuppan, Heat Exchanger Design Handbook, 2nd
experimentally determined heat flow rates in laminar
ed. (CRC-Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton,
flow range are small (Fig. 3).
USA, 2013)
Many other experimental tests were carried out for
various air velocities and water flow rates. An excellent 5. D. Taler, Numerical Modeling and Experimental
compatibility between measured and calculated heat Testing of Heat Exchangers (Springer
flow rates was achieved for all data sets. International Publishing, Berlin-Heidelberg, 2019)
6. D. Taler, J. Therm. Sci. 26, 339-348, (2017)
Conclusions 7. V. Gnielinski, VDI Heat Atlas, Chapter G1
(Springer-Vieweg, Berlin-Heidelberg, 2013)
New theoretical heat transfer correlation for 8. D. Taler, Int. J. Therm. Sci. 108, 108-122, (2016)
calculating the water-side Nusselt number in transition 9. D. Taler, Energy Convers. Manage. 159, 212-243,
and turbulent flow regime was proposed and validated (2018) 212-243
experimentally. Also, empirical heat transfer correlations
on the water and air side were parallelly determined. A 10. A.J. Ghajar, L.M. Tam, Exp. Therm. Fluid Sci. 8,
new formula for the friction factor in the transitional 79-90, (1994)
flow regime that is needed to calculate the water-side 11. J.P. Meyer, M. Everts, Int. J. Heat Mass Transf. 117,
Nusselt number was proposed. The friction factor in the 1251-1273, (2018)
transitional region Rew,trb Rew Rew,tre was determined 12. D. Taler, Int. J. Therm. Sci. 105, 109-122, (2016)
by linear interpolation between the friction factors at Rew 13. D. Taler, Heat Mass Transfer 49, 1125-1139, (2013)
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MATEC Web of Conferences 240, 02012 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201824002012
ICCHMT 2018