Double-sided delta-wing tape inserts to enhance convective heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of a double-pipe heat exchanger

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One of the challenges in the development of heat exchangers is to minimize their energy consumption. This can be achieved by enhancing the heat transfer rate, which will boost the thermal performance of heat exchangers. Delta-wing vortex generators fitted in a double-pipe heat exchanger will generate vortices with more intermixing of the flowing fluid, and provide the improvement of convective heat transfer of the internal flow. In this study, double-sided delta-wing (T-W) tape inserts were designed to enhance convective heat transfer of a double-pipe heat exchanger. The effects of the wing-width ratio (0.31, 0.47, and 0.63) on the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of the heat exchanger were investigated by experiments where water was used as the working fluid and the Reynolds number was varied from 5300 to 14,500. The results were compared with those obtained for a plain tube and tube with longitudinal strip (L-S) insert. The T-W tape insert (wing-width ratio: 0.63) results in the highest average Nusselt number, where the average Nusselt number is higher by 177% relative to that for the plain tube. Despite the significant heat transfer enhancement, the friction factor is 11.6 times higher relative to that for the plain tube, indicating that friction loss is more pronounced due to the presence of T-Ws. The T-W tape insert (wing-width ratio: 0.63) also results in the highest thermal performance factor (1.15). The Nusselt number, thermal performance factor, and friction factor of the heat exchanger increases as the wing-width ratio of the T-Ws increases. Based on the experimental data, empirical correlations were developed to predict the Nusselt number and friction factor of the double-pipe heat exchanger with T-W tape inserts.