Numerical Study of Convective Heat Transfer from Tube Banks with In-Lined Arrangement in Crossflows

Abstract

The inline crossflow heat exchanger is commonly used in the process industry due to optimum heat transfer efficiency and lower price than other heat exchangers. The design of the unit is frequently based on modelling of flow arrangement. In this study, tube pitch distance ratio, Reynolds number, and fluid velocity entering heat exchangers vary. The spacing between tubes in a heat exchanger is directly related to the resistance to air flowing around it. Smaller spacing increases the surface contact area per volume, promoting better heat transfer. However, it requires higher pumping power to push air through the tight space. Optimum tube spacing will give the best ratio of heat transfer over the required pumping power. A numerical investigation was made on the flow-through-in-line arrangements heat model consisting of 6 tubes per row in a range of Reynolds numbers 1,000 to 20,000. The distribution of local static pressure was determined around the tubes in several ratios of tube pitch distance. Furthermore, the total pressure drop was measured. This study uses Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, which is ANSYS FLUENT, to review its pressure drop and velocity vectors when the fluid flows across the vertical tube.