Downloaded from SAE International by Pradyumna Dhamangaonkar, Thursday, October 08, 2020

2020-01-0943 Published 14 Apr 2020

Enhancement of Heat Exchanger Performance

Using Oscillating Flow
Haripriya Rajagopalan MED, College of Engineering Pune

Adhithiya Premchandra Tavorath MED, College of Engineering, Pune

Sakshi Pol and Pradyumna Dhamangaonkar MED, College of Engineering Pune

Citation: Rajagopalan, H., Premchandra Tavorath, A., Pol, S., and Dhamangaonkar, P., “Enhancement of Heat Exchanger Performance
Using Oscillating Flow,” SAE Technical Paper 2020-01-0943, 2020, doi:10.4271/2020-01-0943.

Abstract
model. The effect of change in the magnitude and frequency

I
n this research work, the heat transfer enhancement by using
oscillatory flow of the thermal fluid between cold and hot
reservoir has been analyzed both theoretically and using
simulation methods. The main objective of this study is to
examine the feasibility of a system working under oscillatory
flow conditions compared to its steady flow counterpart. The
principle of incrementing thermal diffusion over molecular
diffusion by establishing oscillatory flow has been utilized in
this case. The system has been designed and the effect of the
flow condition has been analyzed using ANSYS Fluent k-epsilon
of oscillation on local Nusselt number has been computed. The
observed increment in the Nusselt number by increasing the
amplitude and frequency of the fluid has been bolstered by
analytical calculation. A comparison in the heat transfer of a
system working under oscillating and a steady flow conditions
has been generated to establish the need for oscillating flow.
The scope of the study has been extended to explore possibility
of implementation of this concept in the automotive HVAC
system and in the cooling, mechanisms employed in micro-
electronic components present onboard e-vehicles.

Key words
oscillatory flow, thermal diffusion, simulation method, heat
transfer enhancement.

Introduction
conducted in the field of heat transfer variation with oscilla-

T
he thermoacoustic devices use high-amplitude sound
waves to pump heat from one place to another, or
conversely use a heat difference to induce high-
amplitude sound waves. For instance, the thermoacoustic
devices such as the Stirling engine, using the travelling
waves for its operation has been utilized in the space appli-
cations, gas liquefication and so on. The heat transfer corre-
lation from steady flow condition [1] does not hold at higher
oscillating velocity which results in extrapolation of higher
values of heat transfer and conjecture of lower values in
minor losses. Therefore, understanding of the heat
exchangers in oscillatory flow requires further study to
achieve more reliable performance.
There has been immense research done in the area of
metal foam in heat transfer systems under steady state condi-
tion. But the variation in the heat transfer properties under
unsteady f low was still unexplored. Oscillatory f low is
produced by a piston or devices such a bellow capable of
producing vibrations in the flow. These vibrations create the
oscillations and travel back and forth when used alongside a
standing wave generator. Previously, there were studies
tory flow but they are incomplete or lack understanding on
some aspects. Unlike the steady flow heat exchangers, where
the increase in the heat transfer rate is proportional to the
surface area in contact with the fluid, the oscillatory heat
exchanger does not exhibit such characteristics. Due to such
conditions, the heat exchangers under oscillating flow condi-
tion has been studied for being utilized in the development
of thermoacoustic systems. In the case of oscillating flow, the
heat transfer predominantly occurs through conduction and
forced convection. Two primary design considerations [2] for
a heat exchanger in oscillatory flow are (a) to maximize the
heat transfer for relatively short acoustic displacement of the
oscillating gas and (b) to minimize pressure loss. The standard
theory of thermoacoustics [3] is based on the assumption that
the variations of temperature and the heat fluxes about the
direction perpendicular to the direction of flow is assumed
to be  zero. Only the variation of the properties, in the
­direction along that of the flow is considered. In this study
the interplay and relative effects of the aforementioned
factors on the heat transfer parameters have been
computationally analyzed.
 Downloaded from SAE International by Pradyumna Dhamangaonkar, Thursday, October 08, 2020

2 ENHANCEMENT OF HEAT EXCHANGER PERFORMANCE USING OSCILLATING FLOW

Numerical Investigation TABLE 1  Conditions for Helium environment for

computational domain

To understand the merits of oscillating flow over a conven- Parameters Values

© SAE International.
tional steady flow, a numerical analysis has been performed. Medium Helium
In case of a conventional heat exchanger, there is a continuous Frequency (Hz) 7.8
flow of the thermal liquid which establishes the required heat CHX (1&2), surface temperature K(°C) 300 K (27)
transfer through forced convection. If the case of a tube in HEX constant heat flux, W/m2 50
tube heat exchanger is considered, wherein the velocity of fluid
flow is very minimal, the heat transfer rate is infinitesimal.
An oscillating setup can be used under such conditions. The  FIGURE 1   Geometric model of the system
following assumptions are made in this case are:
1. A single tube of the heat exchanger assembly is
considered for the analysis.
2. The flow in the test section under consideration is
assumed to be fully developed.

© SAE International.
3. The initial inherent fluid velocity is assumed to
be negligible that is the fluid is assumed to
be stationary initially.
4. The central heat exchanger is being continuously
heated to maintain a constant heat flux of 50 W/m2.

 FIGURE 2   Schematic of the physical model

Physical Model
Considering the challenges faced in the study and design of
thermoacoustic systems, a contribution in the process of
understanding the effect of oscillating flow in heat exchangers

© SAE International.
has been done. One of the several tubes in an oscillatory flow
heat exchanger has been studied in the process. Two cold heat
exchangers are considered on either side of the hot central
stack from which heat has to be removed. The provision of
two cold heat exchangers is made considering the design
stability of the system. The variation of the temperature
throughout the system has been analyzed by taking a cross X- Momentum Equation
section of 48mm and a thickness of 2mm of aluminum. ¶ru ¶u ¶u ¶u ¶r
Helium has been considered in the case of this thermoacoustic + ru + rv + rw =- + mÑ2u + r f x (3)
¶t ¶x ¶y ¶z ¶x
study as it is capable of withstanding a higher frequency
compared to air or other gases [4]. Other environment condi- Energy equation
tions for the study were taken as mentioned in Table 1. é de ®®® ù
Boundary conditions Q - W x = ê r + V ·Dp + p ÑV ú dxdydz (4)
ë dt û
The sinusoidal flow that the system was subjected to was
developed in comparison with the steady state velocity. where, the momentum in the direction of flow is considered
Let V be the velocity of the steady state system, Then the for 2 D analysis with the assumption made from the theory
velocity of oscillating flow is of thermoacoustics. The equations were solved for both the
steady flow case and the oscillating one. A constant velocity
Vf = V ∗ (2𝜋ft + 𝜑) (1) condition was considered at the inlet of the computational
domain in the steady flow case whereas the continuously
where,
varying velocity was given at the inlet of the oscillatory flow
f- frequency of wave (Hz)
domain. In both the conditions the system is subjected
ϕ-phase angle (rad)
to constant heat flux condition. (With a constant heat flux of
t- time interval of wave (seconds)
50 W/m2.)
The relation between the continuously varying velocity
and the frequency is given in the appendix.
The conditions that governed the system were: Solver for Computational Domain The analysis has
Continuity equation been carried out using ANSYS FLUENT k epsilon model to
solve the RANS equation. The model has been solved under
both the steady flow case and the oscillating flow condition.
¶r ¶r ¶r ¶r ¶u ¶v ¶w
+u +v +w +r + r +r = 0 (2) In case of the oscillating flow condition, to create the continu-
¶t ¶x ¶y ¶z ¶x ¶y ¶z ously varying velocity along with pressure, the approach
 Downloaded from SAE International by Pradyumna Dhamangaonkar, Thursday, October 08, 2020

ENHANCEMENT OF HEAT EXCHANGER PERFORMANCE USING OSCILLATING FLOW 3

chosen was to create a function that varies continuously with  FIGURE 4   Temperature gradient within cold heat
the change in frequency and at particular instant of time. exchanger (2D analysis)

User Defined Function for the

Oscillatory Flow Velocity
To provide the oscillatory flow condition at the inlet of the
domain for computation, a user defined function was designed

© SAE International.
to vary the velocity along with the varying pressure in oscil-
lating flow. The function was programmed using C language
and fed to the solver as the velocity boundary condition which
provided the required relationship between the varying
pressure at different positions of the wave and velocity. The
basic structure of the code for 2D analysis has been discussed
here which has been extended for the 3D model along with
the third-dimension parameter. The function when used for  FIGURE 5   Temperature gradient within the heat exchanger
takes in the input of the steady flow velocity V, frequency f, at under oscillating flow condition
a particular instant of time t to generate the velocity of the
oscillating flow.

Results and Discussion

The following results were obtained for comparative study
© SAE International.

performed between steady and oscillatory flow condition:

1. For steady state analysis, (under a velocity of 0.01m/s
to visualize the temperature of different regions)
The above image describes the flow field temperature.
It can be clearly seen how the temperature varies with
respect to the position of stack and the cold heat
exchanger. Under steady flow, the temperature within
the cold heat exchanger does not vary significantly as Variation of Heat Transfer
the velocity is not sufficient to cause heat transfer.
Properties
2. For the oscillating flow, the temperature profile
obtained shows a temperature variation of around 50 k The heat transfer properties in the case of oscillating flow
for a velocity of 0.01 m/s and a frequency of 7.8 Hz. varies with variation in the frequency. The effect can be effec-
The above profile demonstrates the parabolic tempera- tively seen in the case of Nusselt number whose value keeps
ture profile formed in the case of oscillatory flow condi- increasing with increment in the frequency and time period.
tion. Due to the heat transfer established in this condi- The equation of Nusselt number signifies that it is a
tion there is temperature variation of 50 K is obtained. variable dependent on the characteristic dimension of the
tube, heat transfer coefficient and the thermal conductivity
of the liquid.
 FIGURE 3   Temperature gradient of the flow domain
(Steady state)
h *D
Nu = (5)
k

where, h is the heat transfer coefficient

D is the characteristic dimension of the tube
under consideration
k is the thermal conductivity of liquid
As the diameter of tube and thermal conductivity of the
liquid are constants throughout the study, the only variable
in equation (5) is the heat transfer coefficient.
© SAE International.

As the steady flow velocity is negligible, the heat transfer

rate under these conditions is assumed to be nearly zero. The
results of the simulations of oscillating flow condition are
compared to this condition as the standard for comparison.
 Downloaded from SAE International by Pradyumna Dhamangaonkar, Thursday, October 08, 2020
4 ENHANCEMENT OF HEAT EXCHANGER PERFORMANCE USING OSCILLATING FLOW
 FIGURE 6   Nu (at 7.8 Hz) with variation in time (seconds)
© SAE International.
 FIGURE 7   Nu (at 10 Hz) with variation in time (seconds)
© SAE International.
The value of Nusselt number is compared against the time for
which is the simulation is carried out.
The above figures ascertain that with an increment in
the time period with the frequency being constant, there is
a remarkable increase in the heat transfer coefficient. When
the frequency is incremented from 7.8 Hz to 10 Hz, the value
of Nusselt number at every time instant is higher than that
of the previous case. As the frequency is increased, the pitch
in the waveform reduces. This in turn increases the number
of peaks (crests and troughs) in the waveform. The incre-
ment in the peaks ensures increase in the frequency of
contact area of the fluid with the walls of the tube. Hence,
primarily the contact area of fluid and walls is enhanced
without the requirement of dimensional changes. Also,
when the value of Nusselt number increases the value of
heat transfer coefficient also increases (as the other param-
eters on which the Nusselt number depends are assumed to
be  constant), promising achievement of enhanced heat
transfer rate.
Hence, from figure 8 it is clear that the value of Nusselt
number and hence the heat transfer rate increases with an
increment in frequency after the sane intervals of time
of simulation.
 FIGURE 8   Variation of Nusselt number at higher
frequencies of 10 Hz(Nu1), 15Hz(Nu2) and 20Hz(Nu3).
© SAE International.
Conclusions
The advantages of an oscillatory flow heat exchanger over
a steady flow counterpart has been realized. The variation
in the heat transfer properties with the increment in time
period and frequency of oscillatory flow in terms of Nusselt
number has been understood. For instance, at time interval
of 80 seconds, the percentage increase in Nusselt number
(and hence the heat transfer coefficient) when the frequency
increases from 7.8 Hz to 10 Hz is 39.16%. Considering the
same surface area in contact and the temperature difference,
the heat transfer rate increases by the same percentage. This
study can further be extended by applying the fundamental
concepts and relations of thermoacoustics established
through this study, to various domains where the noise and
energy losses due to moving parts is significant. In the case
of automotive industry, especially with the advent of electric
vehicles, this concept can be utilized in the battery cooling
system as well as the ECM module cooling through multiple
channels of thermoacoustic heat exchanger pipes while
simultaneously reducing the number of moving parts which
leads to increased efficiency of the system.
References
1. Ilori, O.M., Jaworski, A.J., and Mao, X., “Experimental and
Numerical Investigations of Thermal Characteristics of Heat
Exchangers in Oscillatory Flow,” Applied Thermal
Engineering, 2008, doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.07.073.
2. Kalra, S., Desai, K.P., Naik, H.B., Atrey, M.D.et
al.,“Theoretical Study of Standing Wave Thermoacoustic
Engine,” in 25th International Cryogenic Engineering
Conference and the International Cryogenic Materials
Conference, 2014, doi:10.1016/j.phpro.2015.06.058.
3. Petersen, H., “The Properties of Helium: Density, Specific
Heats, Viscosity, and Thermal Conductivity at Pressures
from 1 to 100 Bar and from Room Temperature to about
1800K,” Danish Atomic Energy Commission, Risö, Report
No. 224, Sept. 1970.
 Downloaded from SAE International by Pradyumna Dhamangaonkar, Thursday, October 08, 2020

ENHANCEMENT OF HEAT EXCHANGER PERFORMANCE USING OSCILLATING FLOW 5

4. Vesely, M. and Vit, T., “Difference between Working Gases

in Thermoacoustic Engine,” EDP Sciences, 2014, doi:10.1051/
Abbreviations
epjconf/20146702126.
CHX - Cold heat exchanger
5. Fatimah, A.Z. and Jaworski, A.J., “Oscillatory Flow and Heat
HEX - Hot heat exchanger or stack
Transfer within Parallel-Plate Heat Exchangers of
Thermoacoustic Systems,” in Proceedings of the World Hz - Frequency (Hz)
Congress on Engineering 2013, WCE 2013, Vol. III, July 3-5, V - Steady flow velocity (m/s)
2013, London, U.K, doi:10.3390/app7070673.
K - Kelvin temperature
6. Ilori, O.M., Mao, X., and Jaworski, A.J., “Numerical
f - Frequency of Oscillating wave
Simulation of Oscillatory Flow and Heat Transfer in the Heat
Exchangers of Thermoacoustic Systems,” in The 24th IIR φ - Phase angle of oscillating wave (rad)
International Congress of Refrigeration, Yokohama, Japan, Vf - Oscillating flow velocity(m/s)
Aug. 16-22, 2015, doi:10.18462/iir.icr.2015.0522.
Pa - Pressure (pascal)
7. Piccolo, A., Siclari, R., Rando, F., Cannistraro, M. et al.,
“Analysis of Heat Transfer in Oscillating Flow through a
Channel Filled with Metal Foam Using Computational Fluid
Dynamics, Comparative Performance of Thermoacoustic Appendix
Heat Exchangers with Different Pore Geometries in
Oscillatory Flow, Implementation of Experimental
Techniques,” Applied Science, 2017, doi:10.3390/app7080784.  FIGURE 9   Variation of velocity with frequency(oscillating
flow characteristics)
8. Fatimah, A.Z., Saat, M., and Jaworski, A.J., “Numerical
Predictions of Early Stage Turbulence in Oscillatory Flow
Across Parallel-Plate Heat Exchangers of a Thermoacoustic
System,” Applied Science, 2017, doi:10.3390/app7070673.
9. Kaiviany, M., “Performance of a Heat Exchanger Based on
Enhanced Heat Diffusion in Fluids by Oscillation: Analysis,”
J. Heat Transfer, Feb. 1990, doi:10.1115/1.2910363.
10. Besnoin, E. and Knio, O.M., “Numerical Study of
Thermoacoustic Heat Exchangers In The Thin Plate Limit,”,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins
© SAE International.

University, Baltimore, MD, doi: 1080/10407780152619784.

Contact Information
Haripriya Rajagopalan
haripriya0507@gmail.com

© 2020 SAE International. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of SAE International.

Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of SAE International. Responsibility for the content of the work lies
solely with the author(s).

ISSN 0148-7191