Abstract
In studies using computational fluid dynamics software, very often a uniform air stream is applied as an inlet boundary condition of a heat exchanger. In actual applications, however, the inlet flow conditions are not uniform. Therefore, the effect of nonuniformities on the thermal performance is characterized in a wind tunnel for a commercially available plate water/air heat exchanger. Three nonuniform flow conditions are investigated. The heat exchanger is 275 mm wide and 295 mm high. Three nonuniformities are created by placing a plate 10 cm upstream of the heat exchanger: The first one covers the right-hand side of the heat exchanger, the second one covers the top half of the heat exchanger, and the last obstruction consists of a circular hole of 150 mm diameter in the middle of a plate. Only the circular obstruction has a significant influence on the heat transfer rate: The external convective resistance is up to 25% higher compared to the uniform case. The measurement results presented in this study can be used by other researchers to validate numerical simulations with nonuniform inlet conditions.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
