The effect of using circular fins with a V-shaped cut on the weight reduction and the overall performance of a finned tube heat exchanger

Abstract

In this work, we have investigated the use of circular fins with a V-shape cut in place of regular circular fins. This study was carried out numerically in a natural convection heat transfer in order to understand the effect of creating a V-shape cut on circular fins. We performed this study for a 3D model in a laminar flow containing a single finned tube heat exchanger. The result of this study shows us that, using circular fins with a V-shape cut instead of regular circular fins can significantly improve weight reduction. For fins with a large diameter and a high thermal conductivity, the weight reduction can reach up to 27.8%. On the other hand, for the same fin weight, we can improve the total heat transfer rate by up to 41.6% by using fins with a V-shaped cut in the place of regular ones.