Heat transfer performance evaluation and prediction of correlation for turbulent flow through a tube with helical tape inserts at higher Reynolds number

Abstract

An experimental investigation was accomplished to evaluate the performance of heat transfer for turbulent flow through a tube with helical tape inserts. The mild steel helical tape inserts with different twist ratios of 1.88, 3.13, 4.69, 6.41 and 7.81 were used in the flow field. Heat transfer and pressure drop data were prompted for a wide range of Reynolds number from 7200 to 50,000. The experimental results indicated that the Nusselt number, friction factor and thermal performance factor were increased with decreasing twist ratio. The results also showed that helical tape inserts of different geometries in a circular tube enhanced the heat transfer rate significantly with corresponding increase in friction factor. Nusselt number and friction factor for the tube with inserts were found to be increased up to 260 and 285 %, respectively, than those over the plain tube values at the comparable Reynolds number. The heat transfer performance was evaluated and found to be 44 % higher compared to the plain tube based on the constant blower power. Finally, new correlations were proposed for the twist ratios ranging from 1.88 to 7.81 for predicting the heat transfer, friction factor and thermal performance factor for turbulent flow through a circular tube fitted with helical tape inserts.