Signal-to-noise ratio analysis on saw-tooth vortex generator in vehicle radiators

Abstract

Fin-and-flat tube heat exchangers are widely applied to construction vehicles due to native advantages. An elementary unit out of such one was numerically compared with the corresponding experimental validation to secure accuracy, then, saw-tooth vortex generators were introduced to the rear of the tube, and further analyzed under the same configuration. JF factors from two models were utilized to confirm the initial expectation for a higher comprehensive performance, which also encouraged the following L18(36) orthogonal test on wing width ( ww), wing height ( sw), blade height ( sb), flow attack angle ( Gf), installation angle ( Gi), and saw-tooth number ( Ns) for signal-to-noise ratio and contribution rate (CR). The results stated that the numerical implementation could be capable of the following analyses with the maximum errors of 5.00% for heat transfer coefficient and 5.33% for pressure loss, and also corroborate performance enhancement with a JF increment of 29.9% in the following comparison. The CRs of Gi, Ns, sw, ww, Gf, and sb are 30.39%, 19.61%, 15.69%, 13.73%, 10.78%, and 9.80%, respectively.