International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

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International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/hmt

3D Numerical Study of Conical and Fusiform Turbulators for Heat

Transfer Improvement in a Double-Pipe Heat Exchanger
Qingang Xiong a, Mohsen Izadi b,c,d,∗, Mozafar Shokri rad d, S.A. Shehzad e,
Hussein A. Mohammed f
a
IT Innovation Center, General Motors, Warren, MI 48092, USA
b
Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Vietnam
c
Faculty of Electrical – Electronic Engineering, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Vietnam
d
Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran
e
Department of Mathematics, COMSATS University Islamabad, Sahiwal 57000, Pakistan
f
School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This study demonstrated the effect of conical and fusiform turbulators placed in double-pipe heat ex-
Received 8 September 2020 changer (DPHE) on the heat transportation and turbulent flow designs. A total of 21 configurations in-
Revised 10 January 2021
cluding conical and fusiform turbulator inserts are simulated in a double-pipe heat exchanger with cir-
Accepted 14 January 2021
cular and rectangular tube configurations at four Reynolds number levels (Re = 40 0 0, 70 0 0, 10 0 0 0, and
130 0 0) on the tube side. Utilizing Fluent software, the finite-volume scheme is implemented to discretize
Keywords: the turbulence flow equations using the realizable k–ε model. The results demonstrate that the maximum
Double-pipe heat exchanger convective heat transfer coefficient is achieved when using a heat exchanger having a circular inner pipe.
3D numerical simulation Further, the performance index of the heat exchanger (HE) is found to increase by modifying the shape
conical turbulators
of conical turbulators to fusiform. The DPHE with circular inner pipes and 12 mm fusiform turbulators is
fusiform turbulators
found to be the optimal configuration in-terms of thermal performance. At Re = 4000, the configuration
performance index
with fusiform 9 mm inserts and a rectangular inner pipe with a 0.72 aspect ratio offered the highest coef-
ficient of performance (approximately 27.74) with the overall heat transfer coefficient increased by 4.58%
compared to the plain rectangular tube and by 4.68% compared to the circular tube without turbulators.
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Introduction ing to improve the performance of these pieces of equipment have

Double-pipe heat exchangers (DPHEs) are comprehensively in-
volved in distinct applications like refrigerators and power plants
and in various industries including chemical and food production,
air conditioning and chemical reactors [1]. These heat exchang-
ers are widely used in the industry and attracted the attention
of many researchers [2-6]. Such heat exchangers have advantages
such as the simplest geometry, facility of installation and low in-
stallation and maintenance costs. Given the increasing significance
of energy-saving, it is necessary to enhance the heat transport and
power consumption of the pump in DPHE. Although, several nu-
merical and experimental works have been reported to address the
design of these heat exchangers while several topics remain un-
tapped including the use of conical turbulators. Investigations aim-
∗
Corresponding Author: Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engi-
neering, P.O. Box 68151-44316, Lorestan University.
E-mail address: izadi.m@lu.ac.ir (M. Izadi).
significant role on the optimization of their energy consumption.
In most of the cases, existing heat transfer systems are optimized
by extending the surface area which inevitably increases the size
of the equipment. Turbulators are the most important and effec-
tive passive method of enhancing heat transfer. These devices can
indirectly promote energy transfer via heat exchange surfaces by
directing the stream over the hot or cold channel walls and mak-
ing use of the bulk of fluid at the center of the stream. Turbulators
are mainly used to promote the fluid turbulence and rotation and
ultimately increase the heat transfer.
Having these issues in mind, Noorbakhsh et al. [7] investigated
the influence of different geometries of twisted tapes inserted in a
double-pipe heat exchanger. They reported that the creation of cer-
tain hollows on the twisted tape can provide better performance.
Moghadam et al. [8] tried to enhance the thermal efficiency of
heat exchangers using passive approaches with a coiled wire as
turbulator. Karouei et al. [9] numerically studied the thermal effi-
ciency of two hybrid nanofluid flowing in a helical heat exchanger

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2021.120995
0017-9310/© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

of heat transport in DPHE with spiral turbulators. The heat transfer

Nomenclature rate was found to be higher in tubes containing spiral tapes than
plain ones. The highest heat transfer rate was achieved with spi-
Cp specific heat capacity ral tapes running end-to-end with rods at the center to increase
h convective heat transfer coefficient (W/m2 K) the pressure drop. Naphon [14] conducted an experimental inves-
Dh hydraulic diameter (m) tigation to determine the pressure drop and heat transport pa-
Di inner diameter (m) rameters of DPHE equipped with 20 0 0-mm-long and 1-mm-thick
Do outer diameter (m) twisted tapes. The results suggested that the favorable improve-
U overall convective heat transfer coefficient (W/m2 K) ment of heat transfer accompanied by little pressure drop when
YM ratio of the oscillating expansion to the total dissi- twisted tapes were used. The author proposed new correlations
pation to calculate the friction factor and heat transport coefficients. The
m˙ mass flow rate (kg/s) heat transport and pressure drop of circular tube containing spiral
A cross-section area (m2 ) tapes at 10 0, 20 0, 30 0, and 40 0 mm intervals under laminar flow
B inner pipe width (m) conditions and uniform thermal flux are examined by Sivashan-
Gb Turbulent kinetic energy generated due to gravity mugam and Suresh [15]. It is found that the Nu number reduced
(J/m3 s) by 10% for every 100 mm increase in the spacing of spirals. This
Gk Turbulent kinetic energy generated due to velocity study showed that the insertion of the twisted tapes inside the
gradient (J/m3 s) tube at regular intervals instead of having the tape run end-to-end
K Turbulent kinetic energy (J) resulted a smaller increase in pressure drop while significantly im-
keff Effective thermal conductivity (W/m.K) proving heat transfer. Chang et al. [16] placed corrugated twisted
Nu Nusselt number tapes inside a tube with turbulent flow to investigate its behav-
Q overall heat transfer rate (W) ior on the pressure drop and heat transportation of the tube. This
Re Reynolds number study involved a tube with corrugated twisted tape and another
Pr Prandtl number tube with regular twisted tape and covered by different pitches
T temperature (K) and twist ratios, as well as a tube without the twisted tape and
v velocity vector (m/s) compared the three configurations in terms of the heat transfer.
−
→
v velocity fluctuation vector (m/s) Promvonge [17] studied the turbulent-flow in circular tube con-
P pressure (Pa) taining twisted tape and spiral coil as turbulators to evaluate the
f friction factor heat transport and friction factors. The twisted spiral placed in the
m˙ c mass rate coil created a continuous rotational flow along the tube walls. The
Re number range is assumed between 30 0 0 and 180 0 0. The spi-
Greek letters ral coil has three pitch ratios (ratio of the spring pitch to the wire
μ dynamic viscosity (kg/m.s) thickness) namely 4, 6, and 8 whereas two twist ratios namely 4
μt turbulent viscosity (kg/m.s) and 6 are investigated for the twisted tape. The utilization of both
ε the heat exchanger effectiveness the twisted tapes and spiral at the same time doubled the heat
χu the increase in the overall convective heat transfer transfer compared to a configuration with either of them. The au-
coefficient compared to plain tube case. thor also concluded that the twisted tape and the spiral spring
χp the increase in overall pressure drop compared to together with a weaker pitch and twisted ratio enhance the heat
plain tube case. transfer rate under similar working conditions. Heat transport in
δi, j Kronecker delta circular tube embedded with short twisted tape is addressed by
Subscripts Eiamsa-ard et al. [18]. They showed that the extension of twisted
annulus annulus side tape enhances the thermal efficiency, pressure drop and the fric-
t turbulent tion factor. Chiu et al. [19] investigated the hydrothermal charac-
eff effective teristics of an air stream running in the tubes with different tur-
c cold bulator inserts. In this study, three turbulators including a regular
h hot one with different pitches, a perforated tape and a non-perforated
LM logarithmic mean one are investigated. It is shown that the pressure drop and heat
Tube tube side transport rate enhanced considerably in the tube with a turbulator
in inlet insert compared to a plain pipe.
o outlet In another numerical study, Eiamsa-ard et al. [20] focused on
the thermal and hydrodynamic behavior of a stream running in the
turbulent flow regime. They studied the role of the clearance ratio
by utilizing the curved conical turbulator. The results showed that on heat transport and friction factor. Here, the plates have a twist
the highest volume concentration can lead to the maximum ther- ratio of 2.5 or 5 and the Re number was in the range of 30 0 0-
mal performance at low mass flow rate. 10 0 0 0. They concluded that the thermal coefficient efficiency is
Influence of a certain twisted tape as turbulator on improving influenced by the clearance ratio of the twisting plate while clear-
heat transfer has been demonstrated by Outokesh et al. [10]. They ance ratio of zero offering the best thermal performance. Krishna
reported the conditions which express the maximum and mini- et al. [21] demonstrated the heat transport mechanism in circular
mum thermal efficiency. tubes equipped with spiral turbulators. The results described that
Klaczak [11] reported an experimental study on copper tubes the reduction in pitch ratio of the turbulator helps to improve the
having inside twisted tapes. In this research, he focused on the heat transfer. They also showed that the best performance could
heat transportation under laminar flow conditions. He concluded be achieved at a specific Re number. Thianpong et al. [22] experi-
that the transport of heat could be enhanced by increasing the mentally reported the heat transport in a concentric DPHE. The in-
pitch of the twisted tape. The empirical correlations for Nu num- ner pipe of the heat exchanger has indentations on its outer walls
ber and the friction factor are executed by Ray and Date [12]. and a twisted tape inside. They considered the turbulent condi-
Eiamsa-ard and Promvonge [13] examined the augmenting nature tions and different pitches and plate twist ratios. They compared

2
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

Fig. 1. Geometry of (a) conical and (b) fusiform turbulators.

Fig. 2. Different configurations of the conical insert in double-pipe heat exchanger with circular and rectangular tubes.

3
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al.
Fig. 3. Different configurations of the fusiform insert in double-pipe heat exchanger.
the results with another study in which no indentations are ap-
plied to the inner pipe of the heat exchanger, but a twisting plate
is included.
Murugesan et al. [23] considered water as a working fluid hav-
ing Re number in the range of 20 0 0-120 0 0. They showed that the
heat transport, friction factor and thermal factor of the tube con-
taining a rectangular-cut twisted tapes are notably better than the
one with plain twisted tapes. The better performance of HE with
the rectangular-cut twisted tape is attributed to the increased tur-
bulence and secondary flow developing near the tube walls. They
4
International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995
presented new empirical relations for Nu number and the friction
factor.
Ibrahim [24] studied the heat transport and friction factors in
DPHE integrating the spiral turbulator inserts with different pitch
and spacing ratios. The results showed that Nu number and the
friction factor reduced as the longitudinal spacing of the spiral tur-
bulator reduces. Further, the pressure drop and heat transportation
are improved with all turbulator inserts. Patil and Murugesan et al.
[25] developed an experimental research focusing on the flow of
water in tubes with regular turbulators and turbulators with small
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al.
Fig. 4. Meshed solution domain for the double-pipe heat exchanger of Case 11.
v-cut inserts placed on the edges. The results showed that the av-
erage Nu number and friction factor increases in both tubes re-
gardless of the turbulator as the pitch ratio is reduced. In an exper-
imental and numerical study, Shabanian et al. [26] addressed the
friction factor, heat transport and thermal efficiency of air-cooled
HE integrating different types of turbulators. The turbulators in-
cluded butterfly shapes and classic and jagged twisted tapes. The
results showed the butterfly insert with 90° inclination creates the
highest thermal coefficient of performance in the studied Re num-
ber range.
Kumar and Murugesan [27] conducted a thorough review on
the studies addressing the heat transfer improvement by using dif-
ferent types of twisted tapes. They showed that the screw tapes
are more appropriate in the case of laminar flow regime. Salam
et al. [28] executed the coefficients of heat transport, friction fac-
tor and thermal efficiency enhancement for a circular tube hav-
ing rectangular-cut twisted tapes under fixed thermal flux on tube
walls. The experiments showed that the Nu number and friction
factor of the tube equipped with rectangular-cut twisted tapes are
2.3-2.9 and 1.4-1.8 times compared to the plain tubes. Gawandare
et al. [29] investigated the heat transport and friction factor im-
pacts on the flow of water in a circular tube having twisted rectan-
gular copper jagged tapes. The results indicated the significant heat
transfer improvements using the twisted tape. They also showed
that the weaker twist ratio improves the heat transport.
Nanan et al. [30] formed a perforated twisted tape into a spring
and investigated its effects on heat transfer. The perforated tur-
bulator is found to be effective in reducing the friction factor.
Vashistha et al. [31] experimentally reported the heat transport
and pressure drop for water running in circular tube within spiral
tapes inside. Heat transport and friction lost is shown by increas-
ing the twist pitch and number of twisted tapes. Abdolbaqi et al.
[32] experimentally visualized the turbulent heat transport of wa-
ter in rectangular tube with two twisted tapes with similar and
opposing twist directions and distinct twist ratios. The results de-
clared that Nu number, friction factor and the heat transfer index
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International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995
increase as the twist ratio is reduced. Mashoofi et al. [33] discussed
the impacts of spiral turbulators placed inside the inner pipe of
DPHE on heat transport and pressure drop. They also examined
the effects of axial holes of the turbulator on the heat transport
and pressure drop.
Braga and Saboya [34] studied experimentally and numerically
the heat transfer, pressure drop and efficiency of a heat exchanger
with longitudinal rectangular fins in the space between the two
pipes. The ratio of Nu number in the configuration with fins to
that with plain tubes is found to be smaller than 1 which declines
even further by increasing the Re number. In the end, it is shown
that the use of fins in HE compromises the heat transport.
Ajarostaghi et al. [35] discussed that the application of both
techniques including vortex generator and hybrid nanofluids lead
to the higher heat transfer rate. Zaboli et al. [36] investigated the
fluid flow and heat transfer inside a coil tube with various lobe
shaped cross sections.
Erik et al. [37] developed a numerical research for different
geometrical parameters including the spacing of the two fins in
the middle of the tube and the fin height on the heat trans-
port and pressure drop in the turbulent flow of air in a shell and
tube HE with circular tubes. They realized that an enhancement in
fin height reduces the heat transport and pressure drop. Ekpinar
[38] examined the heat transport, dimensionless exergy loss and
pressure drop on both sides of concentric DPHE with coil inserts
in the inner pipe. The results showed that the exergy loss and
rate of heat transportation both increase by raising the number
of spiral twists (number of turns) and reducing the pitch. Li et al.
[39] reported the numerical investigation on the impacts of trian-
gular protrusions and their sizes on the heat transport and pres-
sure drop of air in a shell and tube heat exchanger with circular
tubes. They concluded that the pressure drop enhances by increas-
ing the length of the protrusion.
Based on the above literature review, it is obvious that there
exists no experimental or numerical study which addressed the
double-pipe heat exchangers with conical or fusiform turbulators.
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

Problem Statement

The effects of placing conical and fusiform inserts in a double-

pipe heat exchanger were studied on the heat transfer and pres-
sure drop. The geometry is comprised of a double-pipe heat
exchanger equipped with turbulator inserts located inside. The
double-pipe heat exchanger is 0.5 m long and has a 40 mm ex-
ternal diameter. W and B denote the width and length of the plain
inner pipe and d and h represent the turbulator dimensions as il-
lustrated in Fig. 1.
It must be noted that different turbulator layouts in the inner
pipe and in the case where multiple turbulators are used. The tur-
bulator height is adjusted based on the diameter and number of
turbulators in the inner pipe to ensure the total volume of tur-
bulators remains constant in all cases. In other words, the same
amount of material is used to make the turbulators in all cases.
Fig. 1 illustrates the geometrical details of conical and fusiform tur-
bulators where d denotes to the diameter and h be the height of
the conical turbulator.
The turbulators with various diameters but a fixed pitch of 50
mm as shown in Fig. 1 are inserted in the inner pipe of the heat
exchanger. Figs. 2 and 3 showed different configurations of conical
and fusiform turbulators inside the double-pipe heat exchanger for
11 total cases.
Accordingly, a total of 21 configurations including double-pipe
heat exchangers with conical and fusiform turbulator inserts are
simulated at Re = 40 0 0, 70 0 0, 10 0 0 0 and 130 0 0 on the tube side.
It must be noted that in all the cases where hot fluid is on the tube
side while the cold fluid flowed in the annular space between the
two pipes in the opposite direction and they flow at a mass flow
rate of 0.1 kg.s−1 . Inside the inner pipe, the flow is assumed to be
turbulent, three-dimensional, incompressible, viscous and steady-
state whereas laminar flow conditions held between the pipes. The
hot fluid entered the heat exchanger at 60°C on the tube side
whereas the cold fluid flowed between the pipes in the opposite
direction at 20°C. The physical properties of the tube-side fluid are
evaluated at 60°C and those of the fluid running between the pipes
at 20°C. Temperature-dependent variations in the physical charac-
teristics of the fluid are ignored. The turbulators are assumed to be
made of copper. Given the high thermal conductivity of the metal,
the heat transfer in the solid medium of the turbulator is ignored
to reduce the computational complexity. The wall thickness is also
ignored for inner and outer pipes of the heat exchanger and except
for the inner pipe that separates the hot and cold fluids, all heat
exchanger walls are assumed to be insulated.

Governing Equations

Based on the above assumptions, the differential forms of the

equations governing the problem including the continuity, momen-
tum, energy, and the turbulence model for single-phase flow are as
follows [40]:

Continuity Equation

∇ .v = 0 (1)
Fig. 5. The outcome of increasing the number of (a) longitudinal nodes; (b) periph-
eral nodes; (c) radial nodes of the inner pipe (d) radial nodes of the annular space where v is the velocity vector of the fluid having the Cartesian
on the temperature for Case 11. components u, v, and w along x, y, and z axes, respectively.

Momentum Equation
For the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first time ever that
the heat transfer of a double-pipe heat exchanger with plain and  
turbulator-equipped inner pipes is numerically investigated in the −
→− →
∇ .(ρvv ) = −∇ p + ∇ .(μ∇v) + ∇ . −ρ v v (2)
present study.

6
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

Fig. 6. A comparison of the average, tube-side, convective heat transfer coefficient in the double-pipe heat exchanger with the experimental study and the empirical relation.

Fig. 7. A comparison of the friction factor between the present numerical simulation and the empirical relation and the reference experimental study.

where ρ is the fluid density, p is the pressure, μ is the dynamic a closed system of equations for turbulent flow. The present study
−
→
fluid viscosity and v is the turbulent velocity vector. Further, uses the realizable version of this two-equation model. The tur-
−
→− → bulence model offers a better performance than the standard and
−ρ v v relates to the Reynolds stresses arising from velocity fluc-
RNG models in rotational flow, boundary layers with severe ad-
tuations in the turbulent flow.
verse pressure gradients, separation, and fluid recirculation zone
[41,42].
Turbulence Kinetic Energy (k) and Turbulent Loss (ε ) The realizable k–ε turbulence kinetic energy equation is as fol-
lows [43,44]:
Eqs. (1) and (2) are time-averages of flow variables. The  μt  
Reynolds stress term must be calculated by selecting the appro- ∇ .(ρvk ) = ∇ . μ+ ∇ k + Gk − ρ − YM (4)
σk
priate turbulence model.
In Reynolds averaging for turbulent flow modeling, the Further, the rate of turbulent losses is as follows:
Reynolds stresses must be modeled in the momentum equation  μ   2 
adequately. The Boussinesq theory is used to relate Reynolds stress ∇ .(ρv ) = ∇ . μ + t ∇  + ρC1 S − ρC2 √ + C1ε C3ε Gb
σ k + ν k
to the average velocity gradient in k–ε turbulence models.
    (5)
∂ vi ∂ v j 2 ∂v
−ρv i v j = μt ρ k + μt k δi, j

+ − (3) where:
∂ x j ∂ xi 3 ∂ xk   
η  k  1 ∂ u j ∂ ui
where μt , k, and δi, j are the turbulent viscosity, turbulence kinetic C1 = max 0.43, , η = S , S = 2Si j Si j , Si j = +
η+5  2 ∂ xi ∂ x j
energy and Kronecker delta, respectively.
(6)
In the k–ε turbulence model, the equations corresponding to
the turbulence kinetic energy and the rate of turbulent losses are In the equations above, k denotes to the turbulence kinetic en-
solved together with continuity and momentum equations to form ergy,  is the rate of losses, Gk denotes the turbulence kinetic en-

7
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

Fig. 8. Fluid axial velocity contour across y = 0 plane at Re = 7000.

ergy generation under an average velocity gradient, Ym is the share heat transfer rate are calculated as follows [45]:
of oscillatory dilation in incompressible turbulence relative to the
Qh = m˙ hC p,h (Tin − Tout )h
total dissipation. Moreover, C2 , C1,ε , and C3,ε are constants, and σk
and σε are turbulent Prandtl numbers for k and ε . Further, Si j is
the strain rate and ν is the kinematic fluid viscosity. The turbulent Qc = m˙ cC p,c (Tout − Tin )c
viscosity μt is calculated from [43]:
k2 Q = ( Q h + Q c )/ 2
μt = ρCμ (7) (11)

Where m˙ h and C p,h are the input mass flow rate and heat capacity
The coefficient Cμ is determined from the following equation
of the hot fluid whereas m˙ c and C p,c denote the input mass flow
for the turbulence model.
rate and heat capacity of the cold fluid. Moreover, Tin and Tout are
1 
Cμ = kU ∗
, U∗ ≡ S i j S i j + i j i j (8) the input and output fluid temperatures on the two sides of the
A0 + As ε heat exchanger.
The ratio of actual heat transport rate to the rate of maximum
Where i j represents the rotation rate tensor.
heat transport or the heat exchanger effectiveness can be calcu-
lated as follows [45]:
Energy Equation
Q
ε= (12)
Qmax

ρCpv.∇ T = ∇ . ke f f ∇ T (9)  
Qmax = (m˙ C p )min Th,in − Tc,in
where Cp is the specific heat capacity, T is the fluid temperature
and ke f f shows the effective thermal conductivity which is ob- The overall convective heat transfer coefficient based on the
tained as follows: surface area of the inner pipe is calculated as follows:

C p μt U=
Q
(13)
ke f f = k + (10) Ac,i TLMT D
P rt
Where k is the thermal conductivity of the fluid and P rt shows where the logarithmic mean temperature difference is calculated
the turbulent Prandtl number. as follows:
T1 − T2
Defining Thermal, Hydrodynamic, and Performance Parameters of the TLM = , T1 = Th,in − Tc,out , T2 = Th,out − Tc,i (14)
ln( 
T2 )
T1
Heat Exchanger
the overall heat transfer coefficient U is related with variations in
The total heat transfer from the hot fluid on the tube side, the convective heat transfer coefficient at the both of annulus and tube
cold fluid in the annular space between the pipes and the average sides.

8
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

Fig. 9. Streamlines passing over the conical inserts on y = 0 plane at Re = 70 0 0.

The average Nu number is obtained as follows for the inner Heat exchanger performance index has been applied to indi-
pipe. cate the ratio of the overall heat transfer rate to the total pressure
htube Dtube drop‌:
N utube = (15)
kc

qw
’’ Q
htube =   η= (16)
0.5 Th,in + Th,o − T w Ptot

Ac is the total surface area comprising turbulators and the inner

pipe. where Ptot = Pi + Po

9
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

Fig. 10. Fluid static pressure contour across y = 0 plane at Re = 7000.

pipes in the opposite direction.

m˙ c
Uannulus = , v = w = 0, T = 293 K (20)
ρ Ac,annulus
• Outlet boundary conditions are:
At the outlet, the static pressure is assumed at P0 (atmospheric
pressure) and a mass balance is applied. The turbulence intensity
is assumed to be equal to the input.
• Wall boundary conditions are:
The no-slip condition is assumed on all the walls including
those of turbulators. The walls of the outer pipe of the heat ex-
changer are insulated.

Fig. 11. The distribution of the tube-side fluid static pressure in the heat exchanger The Numerical Solution Method
with conical turbulators.
Utilizing Fluent software, the governing nonlinear characteris-
tic expressions are discretized and solved by the finite-volume
The Re number is defined on the tube side and in the annular
method. To this end, the governing equations are applied to differ-
space between the two pipes as follows:
ential control volumes in the solution field and discretized over the
(ρ uDh )tube solution domain. Accordingly, the differential equations are trans-
Retube = (17)
μ f,h formed into algebraic equations that can be solved by iterative
(ρ uDh )annulus methods. The SIMPLEC algorithm is used to couple the pressure
Reannulus = (18) with the velocity. The second-order upwind scheme is used to dis-
μ f,c
cretize displacement terms in momentum, energy, kinetic energy,
Boundary Conditions turbulence, and turbulent loss equations. In the end, the pressure
gradient was discretized by the second-order scheme.
• Inlet boundary conditions for the inner pipe are:
 Re × μ  Grid Independence of Numerical Results
Utube = ; v = w = 0; T = 333 K, I = 16Re−0.125
ρ Dh tube The effect of refining the grid is investigated on the numerical
(19) results with different geometries and in longitudinal, radial, and
peripheral directions. This section discusses the grid-independence
• Inlet boundary conditions for the space between the two pipes
of the heat exchanger in Case 11, where two rows of conical tur-
are:
bulators are placed in the inner pipe.
The cold fluid runs at a mass flow rate of 0.1 kg.s−1 and a con- The tube-side Re number is 13000, indicating that a turbulent
stant temperature of 20°C in the annular space between the two flow is presumed in the inner pipe. The flow is assumed to be

10
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

Fig. 12. y = 0 plane at Re = 7000.

Fig. 13. The effects of Re and diameter of the conical insert on the overall convective heat transfer coefficient of the double-pipe heat exchanger with a circular inner pipe.

Fig. 14. The effects of Re number and diameter of the conical insert on the overall pressure drop of the double-pipe heat exchanger with a circular inner pipe.

11
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al.
Fig. 15. The effects of Re number and diameter of the conical insert on the performance index of the double-pipe heat exchanger with a circular inner pipe.
laminar between the two pipes. The solution domain is meshed us-
ing a structured grid with hexagonal cells. Fine cells were consid-
ered adjacent to the walls of the inner pipe and turbulator walls,
and the boundary layer was meshed with at least ten cells in the
wall-adjacent boundary layer to achieve a favorable y+ that well
represents the near-wall behavior. Fig. 4 shows an example of the
meshed solution domain. As evident, the density of grid cells near
the inner pipe walls and the edges of turbulator are considerably
higher than any other parts.
The initial grid is comprised of 200 longitudinal nodes, 36 pe-
ripheral nodes, and 24 radial nodes in the inner pipe and a further
6 radial nodes in the annular space. By maintaining a fixed num-
ber of nodes in other directions, the number of longitudinal nodes
is doubled in each step.
Fig. 5 illustrates the effects of increasing the number of grid
cells. It is obvious from this that, the optimal grid for the heat ex-
changer has 400 nodes in the longitudinal direction, 54 in the pe-
ripheral direction, 45 in the radial direction inside the inner pipe
and 12 in the radial direction in the annular space. The final opti-
mal number of grid cells is found to be 1230200. It must be noted
that the grid is also tested with other geometries for different ther-
mal and hydrodynamic variables, but the results are not included
in this text for conciseness.
The results are compared against the experimental work of
Duangthongsuk and Wongwises [46] for validation. The compari-
son involved water (hot fluid) which enters with inlet temperature
of 40°C flowing on the tube side at Re number in the range of
50 0 0–1670 0 and water (cold fluid) flowing at 25°C in the annu-
lar space at an input mass flow rate of 3 lit.min1 . Fig. 6 compares
the convective heat transfer coefficient obtained from the numer-
ical simulation with that of the experimental study and the em-
pirical relation of Dittus and Boelter [47]. The maximum relative
error between the present numerical results and the experimen-
tal results of the reference study was 13.4% at Re = 40 0 0 and 1.9%
difference appeared at Re = 8400 relative to the Dittus and Boelter
relation, suggesting a general consistency between the present nu-
merical and experimental results and Dittus and Boelter empirical
relation.
Furthermore, Fig. 7 compares the numerical results with the ex-
perimental study and Petukhov empirical relation for Darcy friction
factor. The figure shows that there was 12.6% maximum error in
friction factor between the numerical simulation and experimen-
tal results at Re = 8400 and 2% maximum error between the nu-
12
International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995
merical simulation and Petukhov empirical relation at the same Re
number. Overall, the comparison is suggestive of the consistency of
the numerical simulation with the experimental data.
Results and discussion
A computational investigation is carried out to study the ther-
mal and hydrodynamic performance of the effects of placing con-
ical and fusiform inserts in a double-pipe heat exchanger. Total
of 21 configurations were simulated, which included double-pipe
heat exchangers with conical and fusiform inserts and different
layouts at different Re number levels. The governing factors are
the geometrical parameters and arrangement of the two inserts
shapes. The results of overall heat transfer coefficient, pressure
drop, temperature and velocity profiles, and performance index are
presented and interpreted in this section.
Effects of Conical Inserts in the Heat Exchanger Inner Pipe
The impact of placing the turbulator in the inner pipe of the
heat exchanger on the thermal and hydrodynamics performance
is investigated as it alters the flow field as shown in Figs. 8-11.
Fig. 8 depicts the distribution of fluid axial velocity in the double-
pipe heat exchanger for different cases (Case 2, Case 8 and Case
11). It can clearly be seen that the conical insert increased the fluid
velocity near the walls of the inner pipe, as well as the average ve-
locity inside the tube, due to the resulting constriction.
It is apparently seen that the increased fluid velocity near the
walls of the inner pipe improves the convective heat transfer. The
sharp edges of this turbulator separate the streamlines from the
turbulator surface, which create an adverse-pressure-gradient re-
gion behind it, ultimately leading to the formation of a large vor-
tex. Fig. 9 depicts the streamlines passing over the conical turbula-
tors. According to the figure, a larger turbulator diameter increases
the intensity of the vortex forming behind the turbulator and a
wider fluid rotation area. Overall, this particular configuration of
the turbulators helps to shift the streamlines from the center of
the tube towards the walls, and transferring the fluid momentum
and energy.
The formation of a rotational-flow region behind the turbulators
results in a low-pressure zone that causes fluid pressure loss in
the tube. Besides the turbulator geometry, the constriction of the
tube raises the flow resistance, all of which increase the pressure
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

Fig. 16. The effects of Re number and diameter of the conical insert on the overall convective heat transfer coefficient and overall pressure drop of the double-pipe heat
exchanger with a rectangular inner pipe.

13
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

Fig. 17. The effect of Re number and conical insert on the performance index of the double-pipe heat exchanger with rectangular inner pipe (aspect ratio: 0.72).

Fig. 18. The effect of Re number and conical insert on the performance index of the double-pipe heat exchanger with rectangular inner pipe (aspect ratio: 0.53).

Table 1
The increase in the overall convective heat transfer coefficient and overall pressure drop with
inserts of different diameters placed in 25 mm inner pipe.

Re number d = 12 mm d = 14 mm d = 16 mm
χu χp χu χp χu χp
4000 9.03 60.29 11.59 90.33 21.76 263.12
7000 6.37 115.16 8.24 183.1 13.82 591.62
10000 4.92 169 6.57 263.76 10.85 924.73
13000 4.04 213.92 5.22 346.19 9.82 1161.7

drop in the inner pipe of the heat exchanger. Fig. 10 illustrates the
static pressure variations of the fluid across the double-pipe heat
exchangers with conical turbulators.
Moreover, Fig. 11 shows the static pressure variations of the
fluid running in the tube along the heat exchanger for the above
three cases.
Fig. 11 shows that the fluid experiences a severe pressure drop
after reaching the end of the turbulator and separating from the
edges, reaching a local minimum where it starts a hike, indicating
an adverse pressure gradient behind the insert that causes intense
fluid rotation. The changes in streamlines after replacing turbula-
tors significantly affect the temperature distribution in the fluid.
Fig. 12 compares the temperature distribution across y = 0 plane
at Re = 70 0 0 for three types of double-pipe heat exchangers with
different turbulator layouts.
The installation of conical inserts helps shift the momentum
and energy from the center of the inner pipe toward the walls,
separating the hot and cold fluids, thus increasing the overall heat
transfer rate. Fig. 12 shows that replacing the inner pipe of the
heat exchanger with a rectangular one and reducing the cross-

14
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

Fig. 19. The effect of Re number and conical insert on the performance index of the double-pipe heat exchanger with rectangular inner pipe (aspect ratio: 0.37).

Fig. 20. The maximum performance index of four double-pipe heat exchanger configurations with conical inserts: circular inner pipe and rectangular inner pipes with 0.72,
0.53, and 0.37 aspect ratios.

section aspect ratio and increasing the number of turbulators re-  p− po

sult in a smaller drop in the hot fluid output temperature, indicat-
ing that the heat transfer rate is reduced.
The effect of installing the conical turbulator on the heat ex-
changer performance can be investigated by comparing the overall
convective heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of the heat
exchanger for different inserts. Fig. 13 illustrates the effects of the
diameter of the conical insert placed in the circular inner pipe on
the overall convective heat transfer coefficient at different Re num-
ber values.
As evident, at all Re number levels, the overall convective heat
transfer coefficient increases compared to the plain tube by in-
 po %) for various insert diameters compared to the case of the
tube without turbulator.
Table 1 results prove that placing the conical turbulator in the
inner pipe of the heat exchanger, despite slightly improving the
heat transfer rate, inflicts a considerable pressure drop on the sys-
tem. Moreover, it is found that by increasing the Re number, be-
sides compromising the heat transfer rate improvement compared
to the plain tube, the pressure drop is drastically exacerbated,
showing that using turbulators at high Re number is unjustifi-
able. Table 1 also shows that increasing the diameter of the inserts
compromises the increase in the heat transfer rate relative to the
pressure drop caused in the system. The performance index of the
creasing the turbulator diameter. Further, increasing the Re num-
ber also improves the convective heat transfer rate. Fig. 14 shows
the effect of the conical insert diameter on the overall pressure
drop across the double-pipe heat exchanger with a circular inner
pipe. In this case, too, using the turbulator with a larger diameter
drastically exacerbated the pressure drop in the system. This effect
is further intensified at higher Re number levels.
Table 1 shows the increase in the overall convective heat
transfer coefficient (χu = U−U Uo %) and overall pressure drop (χ p =
o
double-pipe heat exchanger is defined as η = Qp . Fig. 15 illus-
tot
trates the effect of Re number and turbulator diameter on the per-
formance index of the double-pipe heat exchanger with a circular
pipe to show the effect of installing conical turbulators on the heat
exchanger performance.
As evident, equipping the inner pipe with conical turbulators
drastically compromises the performance of the heat exchanger
due to the enormous pressure drop caused in the system. Plac-
ing large-diameter inserts can improve the heat transfer rate when

15
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

Fig. 21. Static pressure variations along the rectangular inner pipe for cases with conical and fusiform inserts.

Fig. 22. The effects of Re number and diameter of the conical insert on the overall convective heat transfer coefficient of double-pipe heat exchangers with different inner
pipe cross-sections.

16
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al.
Fig. 23. The effects of Re and diameter of the conical insert on the overall pressure drop of double-pipe heat exchangers with different inner pipe cross-sections.
pressure-drop is of little significance. However, given that pres-
sure drop is to be considered in the design of these systems, us-
ing the conical insert is not convenient. Fig. 16 illustrates the ef-
fects of conical inserts in the inner pipe with a rectangular cross-
section on the overall heat transfer and overall pressure drop of
the double-pipe heat exchanger.
As evident from Fig. 16, using a conical turbulator in rectan-
gular tubes helps augment both the convective heat transfer co-
efficient and the overall pressure drop. Moreover, it is found that
reducing the aspect ratio of the cross-section undermines the pos-
itive effects of turbulators in boosting the heat transfer and exac-
erbates its negative role in raising the pressure drop. In this case,
too, increasing the Re number undermines the contribution of tur-
bulators to improving the heat transfer rate of the heat exchanger
compared to the case without a turbulator, causing a substantial
pressure drop in the system. Table 2 shows the increase in the
overall convective heat transfer coefficient and the overall pressure
drop for different insert diameters in three rectangular pipes com-
pared to a plain one for a qualitative evaluation of the effects of
turbulators on the overall pressure drop and the heat transfer rate
of the heat exchanger.
Table 2 suggests that using the conical insert in the pipe and,
simultaneously, changing the cross-section shape to rectangular
17
International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995
undermines the performance of the heat exchanger compared to
the case without an insert. This change in the cross-section also
considerably increases the pressure drop, especially at lower as-
pect ratios. As a result, in case of using a conical insert in the
inner pipe, the closer the cross-section is to a circular shape, the
more considerable increase in the convective heat transfer coeffi-
cient and the lower adverse pressure drop. Figs. 17, 18 and 19 show
the effects of placing conical inserts with different diameters in
the inner pipe on the performance index of the heat exchanger in
three configurations with a rectangular inner pipe and in order of
the reduction of aspect ratio.
In all the above cases, increasing the diameter of the conical in-
serts considerably reduced the heat exchanger performance index.
The negative impact of the insert on the performance index is ex-
acerbated as the Re number increases. The maximum performance
index of the double-pipe heat exchanger is compared in Fig. 20 for
configurations with circular inner pipe and a conical insert and
three rectangular inner pipes with 0.72, 0.53, and 0.37 aspect ra-
tios.
According to the above figure, using a rectangular inner pipe
in the heat exchanger together with the conical insert, especially
at lower cross-section aspect ratios, significantly undermines the
heat exchanger performance index due to the considerable pres-
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al.
Fig. 24. The effects of Re number and diameter of the fusiform insert on the performance index of double-pipe heat exchangers with different inner pipe cross-sections.
sure drop developing in rectangular tubes at smaller aspect ratios.
Overall, using a rectangular inner pipe with conical inserts did not
have a positive outcome in regards to the performance of the heat
exchanger. In this light, the best scenario for improving the heat
transfer rate with conical turbulators is to use an inner pipe with
a circular cross-section. In the following section, it was attempted
to control the negative impacts of pressure drop on the heat ex-
changer performance by modifying the ends of conical turbulators
into a fusiform shape.
Effects of Fusiform Inserts in the Heat Exchanger Inner Pipe
Modifying the shape of conical turbulators into fusiform turbu-
lators helped considerably reduce the pressure drop. On the one
hand, it controlled the separation of streamlines from the turbu-
lator surface and, on the other hand, reduced the size of the low-
pressure region behind the insert, thus weakening the reverse flow
and mitigating the pressure drop. Fig. 21 depicts the distribution of
static pressure along the heat exchanger with a rectangular inner
pipe for the cases of conical and fusiform turbulators for compari-
son.
18
International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995
The comparison was made at Re = 70 0 0, and Cases 12 and
22 in Fig. 21 correspond to the configurations with conical and
fusiform inserts, respectively. As evident, replacing the conical tur-
bulator with a fusiform one reduces the pressure drop across
the heat exchanger inner pipe. Fig. 22 demonstrates the effect
of fusiform turbulators on the convective heat transfer coefficient
of double-pipe heat exchangers with different inner pipe cross-
sections.
In this case, increasing the Re number compromises the effec-
tiveness of fusiform inserts in improving the overall heat transfer
rate. Moreover, reducing the aspect ratio of the inner-pipe cross-
section undermines the increase in the heat transfer rate resulting
from installing turbulators compared to the case of plain tubes-
notably, with the smallest aspect ratio (0.37) and at Re > 10 0 0 0, it
even reduces the overall heat transfer rate. The best thermal per-
formance in the three configurations with rectangular inner pipes
and turbulators was achieved with the 0.75 cross-section aspect
ratio, showing that the turbulator effectiveness in enhancing the
heat transfer rate is higher when the cross-section geometry is
closer to a circular shape. A comparison between the overall con-
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al.
Fig. 25. Comparison of the overall convective heat transfer coefficients and performance indices of heat exchangers with conical and fusiform inserts and rectangular pipes
with 0.72 aspect ratio.
vective heat transfer coefficients for three rows of 6 mm conical in-
serts and two rows of 8 mm inserts, placed in the inner pipe with
a 0.37 aspect ratio, indicates that increasing the number of turbu-
lators improves the heat transfer rate. Fig. 23 demonstrates the ef-
fect of fusiform turbulators on the overall pressure drop of double-
pipe heat exchangers with different inner pipe cross-sections.
Fusiform turbulators also increased the overall pressure drop of
the heat exchanger. In this case, too, increasing Re number and tur-
bulator diameter exacerbates the pressure drop caused by the in-
serts compared to the plain pipe. Table 3 presents a quantitative
investigation of the impacts of fusiform turbulators on the perfor-
mance of the double-pipe heat exchanger. As shown, the convec-
tive heat transfer coefficient and overall pressure drop increase af-
ter installing the fusiform inserts in the heat exchanger, compared
to the case with plain tubes.
Based on the table, besides having a more significant impact
on the overall heat transfer rate compared to rectangular tubes,
installing fusiform turbulators in circular pipes causes a smaller
pressure drop across the heat exchanger. The rectangular tube with
an aspect ratio of 0.75, W = 20 mm, and B = 7.8 mm creates a
19
International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995
smaller heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop compared to
the other two cases. The positive effect of the inserts on the heat
transfer rate is less significant for smaller cross-section aspect ra-
tios. At higher Re number levels, using turbulators even reduces
the heat transfer rate compared to the case with a plain tube. The
effect of fusiform turbulators on the performance index of double-
pipe heat exchangers is illustrated in Fig. 24.
Installing turbulators in the heat exchanger inner pipe reduces
the performance index of the heat exchanger due to the consider-
able pressure drop accompanying the heat transfer rate improve-
ments. However, since fusiform inserts offer a lower pressure drop
compared to conical ones, the heat exchanger coefficient of per-
formance is improved in this case. If the heat transfer rate is to
be improved using turbulators, it is recommended to select the in-
ner pipe shape and turbulator size in such away it offers the high-
est coefficient of performance besides improving the heat transfer
rate. Accordingly, at Re = 40 0 0, the configuration with fusiform 9
mm inserts and a rectangular inner pipe with a 0.72 aspect ra-
tio offered the highest coefficient of performance (approximately
27.74), with the overall heat transfer coefficient increased by 4.58%
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

Table 2 compared to the plain rectangular tube and by 4.68% compared

The increase in the convective heat transfer coefficient and overall pres-
to the circular tube without turbulators. For the double-pipe heat
sure drop of the double-pipe heat exchanger with rectangular inner
pipe and equipped with conical turbulators compared to one without exchanger with a rectangular inner pipe, the maximum heat ex-
an insert. changer performance index was achieved at 22.3 with two rows
W = 20 mm; B = 7.8 mm; Do = 40 mm
of 8 mm fusiform inserts, which shows 5.5% increase in the over-
all convective heat transfer coefficient relative to the correspond-
d = 16 mm d = 14 mm d = 12 mm Re
ing plain tube and 6.7% increase relative to a plain circular tube.
number
χp χu χp χu χp χu In the double-pipe heat exchanger with a rectangular inner pipe
328.4 21.37 145.24 13.46 74.04 8.53 4000 with 0.37 aspect ratio, installing the turbulator resulted in a dras-
683.7 13.57 317 8.75 144.53 5.52 7000 tic decline of the heat exchanger performance index, while offering
1005.93 9.93 457.33 6.16 210.8 3.83 10000 a lower increase in the heat transfer rate compared to the other
1277.96 8.27 598.6 4.90 269.08 2.91 13000
two cases. According to Table 3, at other Re number levels, placing
W = 16 mm; B = 14.1 mm; Do = 40 mm; N=2
d = 12 mm d = 10 mm d = 8 mm Re
fusiform inserts in the circular tube resulted in better performance
χp χu χp χu χp χu number index and heat transfer.
799.6 17.2 220.5 11.64 87.9 5.76 4000 Fig. 25 depicts the overall convective heat transfer coefficient
1723.55 9.9 423.45 6.31 161.3 2.16 7000 and performance index of double-pipe heat exchangers with 12
2367.94 7.32 579.4 4.51 219.1 1.06 10000
and 16 mm conical and fusiform inserts in the rectangular inner
2668.11 5.23 701.81 3.18 264.34 0.3 13000
W = 12 mm; B = 20.4 mm; Do = 40 mm; N = 3 pipe with a 0.72 aspect ratio for comparison. It was shown that
d = 8 mm d = 6 mm Re changing the insert shape from conical to fusiform improved the
χp χu χp χu number heat exchanger performance index for both turbulator sizes. Fur-
145.75 9.12 86.84 4.1 4000
ther, with a 12 mm diameter, using a fusiform turbulator slightly
204.84 4.57 116.3 1.77 7000
889.73 3.81 240.73 0.84 10000
increases the overall convective heat transfer coefficient, while
977.15 2.68 269.08 -0.2 13000 considerably reducing it with a 16 mm diameter. This outcome
shows that the 12 mm fusiform insert offers much better perfor-

Fig 26. Overall convective heat transfer coefficients and performance indices of heat exchangers with conical and fusiform inserts in the inner pipes of different double-pipe
heat exchangers.

20
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 170 (2021) 120995

Fig 26. Continued

mance than the conical insert compared to the case with 16 mm

Table 3 diameter.
The increase in the convective heat transfer coefficient and overall
pressure drop of the double-pipe heat exchanger with rectangular in-
Fig. 26 compares the overall convective heat transfer coeffi-
ner pipe and equipped with fusiform turbulators compared to one cients and the performance indices of double-pipe heat exchang-
without an insert. ers with conical and fusiform inserts placed in the inner pipe.
= 25 mm; Do = 40 mm
Fig. 26a also compares the overall convective heat transfer coef-
ficient with that of the double-pipe heat exchanger with a circu-
d = 16 mm d = 12 mm d = 9 mm Re
lar inner pipe and no turbulator. Moreover, for similar diameters,
χp χu χp χu χp χu conical and fusiform inserts were investigated to show which one
191.5 16.94 49 8.28 22.31 4.74 4000 offers the highest performance index. Replacing the conical insert
413 11.13 99.67 5.43 44.67 3.07 7000 with a fusiform one reduced the convective heat transfer coeffi-
603.99 8.44 140.83 4.05 63.05 2.24 10000 cient in all cases, except for the double-pipe heat exchanger with
749.5 6.86 171.16 3.21 76.19 1.73 13000 a rectangular inner pipe and 0.72 aspect ratio. Nevertheless, using
W = 20 mm; B = 7.8 mm; Do = 40 mm
either type of turbulator, the highest convective heat transfer coef-
d = 16 mm d = 12 mm d = 9 mm Re
χp χu χp χu χp χu ficient was achieved using the heat exchanger with a circular inner
231.3 16.66 58.79 8.72 26.33 4.58 4000 pipe.
463.88 10.43 116.27 5.6 51.67 3.17 7000 However, using a rectangular inner pipe with turbulators inside
657.43 7.47 161.23 3.99 71.79 2.18 10000
and reducing its cross-section aspect ratio compromised the con-
808.4 5.89 179.16 2.88 85.02 1.66 13000
W = 16 mm; B = 14.1 mm; Do = 40 mm; N = 2
vective heat transfer coefficient, even reducing it below the level
d = 10 mm d = 8 mm Re of the configuration with circular inner pipe and no turbulator at
χp χu χp χu a higher Re number range.
176.5 9.7 75.04 5.49 4000 Fig. 26b suggests that modifying the shape of conical turbula-
322.65 4.81 136.82 2 7000
tors into fusiform improves the heat exchanger performance index
420 2.94 167.8 1 10000
480.98 1.81 186.56 0.1 13000 with all turbulator layouts in all inner pipes with different cross-
W = 12 mm; B = 20.4 mm; Do = 40 mm; N = 3 sections. According to Fig. 26, the optimal configuration-in terms
d = 8 mm, N=2 d = 6 mm, N=3 Re of performance-is the double-pipe heat exchanger with circular in-
χp χu χp χu ner pipes and 12 mm fusiform turbulators. Further, among all cases
116.28 3.67 115.26 4.16 4000
174.8 0.45 168.4 1.3 7000
with rectangular inner pipes, the configuration with an aspect ratio
211.3 -0.23 193.8 0.48 10000 of 0.72 for the inner pipe and 12 mm fusiform inserts was found
219.2 -1.3 197.5 -0.47 13000 to offer the best performance.

21
Q. Xiong, M. Izadi, M. Shokri rad et al.
Conclusions
The effects of placing conical and fusiform inserts in a double-
pipe heat exchanger are studied numerically for the evaluation of
heat transfer and turbulent flow pattern. Overall, 21 configurations
are simulated which included double-pipe heat exchangers with
conical and fusiform inserts and different layouts at different Re
number levels. The findings of this work can be summarized as
follows:
• By increasing the turbulator diameter, the overall convective
heat transfer coefficient is enhanced compared to the case with
a plain tube.
• Equipping the inner pipe with conical turbulators drastically
compromises the heat exchanger performance due to the con-
siderable pressure drop caused in the system.
• Reducing the cross-section aspect ratio undermines the positive
effects of conical turbulators in boosting the heat transfer and
exacerbates its negative role in raising the pressure drop.
• At Re = 4000, the configuration with fusiform 9 mm inserts and
a rectangular inner pipe with a 0.72 aspect ratio offered the
highest coefficient of performance (approximately 27.74) with
the overall heat transfer coefficient increased by 4.58% com-
pared to the plain rectangular tube and by 4.68% compared to
the circular tube without turbulators.
• With a circular inner pipe cross-section, the optimal
configuration-in terms of performance is found to be the
double-pipe heat exchanger with circular inner pipes and 12
mm fusiform turbulators.
• Among the double-pipe heat exchangers with rectangular inner
pipes, the configuration with an aspect ratio of 0.72 for the in-
ner pipe and 12 mm fusiform inserts is found to offer the best
performance.
Author statement
Qingang Xiong: Software, Validation, Reviewing and Edit-
ing, Writing. Mohsen Izadi: Conceptualization, Methodology,
Writing- Original draft preparation, Validation. Mozafar Shokri
rad: Writing- Original draft preparation, S.A. Shehzad.: Writing-
Original draft preparation, Data curation. Hussein A. Mohammed:
Software, Reviewing and Editing.
Declaration of Competing Interest
None.
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