Numerical investigation on developing laminar forced convective heat transfer and entropy generation in an annular helicoidal tube

Abstract

In this study, numerical investigations are conducted for forced convective heat transfer in an annular helicoidal tube under uniform wall temperature condition for laminar flow including developing region. The numerical computations reveal the developments and distributions of heat transfer and flow fields in the annular helicoidal tube when the outer tube wall is heated and the inner tube wall is insulated. The effects of Reynolds number, curvature ratio, and coil pitch on the circumferential average friction factor and Nusselt number at different axial locations, and the non-dimensional entropy generation number of laminar convection in an annular helicoidal tube are investigated. In addition, the differences of flow and heat transfer characteristics between the annular helicoidal tube and circular helicoidal tube are also described.