Shell Tube Heat Exchanger Research Articles

CPDet: Circle-Permutation-Aware Object Detection for Heat Exchanger Cleaning

Shell–tube heat exchangers are commonly used equipment in large-scale industrial systems of wastewater heat exchange to reclaim the thermal energy generated during industrial processes. However, the internal surfaces of the heat exchanger tubes often accumulate fouling, which subsequently reduces their heat transfer efficiency. Therefore, regular cleaning is essential. We aim to detect circle holes on the end surface of the heat exchange tubes to further achieve automated positioning and cleaning tubes. Notably, these holes exhibit a regular distribution. To this end, we propose a circle-permutation-aware object detector for heat exchanger cleaning to sufficiently exploit prior information of the original inputs. Specifically, the interval prior to the extraction module extracts interval information among circle holes based on prior statistics, yielding prior interval context. The following interval prior fusion module slices original images into circle domain and background domain maps according to the prior interval context. For the circle domain map, prior-guided sparse attention using prior a circle–hole diameter as the step divides the circle domain map into patches and performs patch-wise self-attention. The background domain map is multiplied by a hyperparameter weak coefficient matrix. In this way, our method fully leverages prior information to selectively weigh the original inputs to achieve more effective hole detection. In addition, to adapt the hole shape, we adopt the circle representation instead of the rectangle one. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our method achieves state-of-the-art performance and significantly boosts the YOLOv8 baseline by 5.24% mAP50 and 5.25% mAP50:95.

Effect of fluid direction and reactor structure on heat storage performance of Ca(OH)2/CaO based on shell-tube thermochemical energy storage device

The flow direction of the heat transfer fluid (HTF) and reactor structure inside the shell-tube heat exchanger has a significant impact on the heat transfer performance of the shell-tube reaction device. In this study, a comprehensive 3D multi-physics coupled model of a shell-tube fixed bed thermochemical energy storage (TCES) device is developed. The investigation delves into the influence of HTF flow direction and reactor structural design on a plethora of critical parameters including temperature distribution, steam pressure distribution, reaction extent, reaction time, heat transfer power, heat transfer efficiency, and heat storage efficiency within the reactor. The result indicates that the flow direction of HTF has an impact on the homogeneity of the reaction in the tube, and the countercurrent and concurrent flow can realize the gradient and homogeneous occurrence of the reaction in the tube, respectively. Both lessening the outer diameter of the device and increasing the diameter of the heat storage material filling tube can improve the average heat exchange efficiency and the average heat storage efficiency. Compared with the basic case (Basic case A), the optimized (Case D) heat storage device volume decreased by 13.38 %, the energy stored amount increased by 24.14 %, heat storage time shortened by 8.04 %, and heat storage efficiency increased by 32.14 %. Additionally, the inlet temperature and velocity still have an obvious influence on the thermal performance of the reactor after structural optimization. These research findings guide for improving the heat and mass transfer effect and working performance of the shell-tube fixed bed Ca(OH)2/CaO reactor.

Retraction of: Computational fluid dynamic simulations to improve heat transfer in shell tube heat exchangers

Retraction of: Computational fluid dynamic simulations to improve heat transfer in shell tube heat exchangers

Cascading latent heat thermal energy storage in parabolic trough solar collector as a promising solution: An experimental investigation

Solar energy system can be considered as a reliable energy source if it connects to a latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) system using phase change materials (PCMs). To tackle the low thermal conductivity coefficient of PCMs, the cascaded latent heat storage (CLHS) configuration is a promising solution. This study aims to illustrate the improvement of CLHS setup comparing with non-cascaded arrangement, performing a whole-scale experimental investigation. A compact parabolic trough collector (PTC) unit equipped with a LHTES module is designed and constructed for a residential purpose. Experimental results reveal that the average thermal efficiency of PTC is 73.5 %. Three paraffin waxes with melting ranges of (64–68 ℃), (57–60 ℃) and (46–48 ℃) are injected in three same series of shell-tube heat exchangers. For comparing cascaded and non-cascaded PCM performance, three experimental series, namely (Exp.1, Exp.2 and Exp.3) are performed. The experimental findings show that the deployment of the CLHS configuration improves the latent heat storage of non-CLHS-Exps.1, 2, and 3 by more than 10, 47, and 5 %, respectively. In addition, CLHS system has a potential to increase the exergy storage of non-CLHS setup by up to 27.4 %. Furthermore, impact of increasing heat transfer fluid (HTF) flow rate is examined and it is observed that the melting process is shortened by almost 39 %. Accordingly, increasing flow rate improves energy stored in PCMs1, 2, and 3 by 60 %, 59.62 %, and 72.04 %, respectively. Consequently, the latent thermal exergy storage of the PCM experiences a twofold increase. Conducting an experimental evaluation of thermal performance of the storage module integrated with PTC setup can be valuable, particularly in the realm of residential applications.

Comprehensive performance assessment on LBE-helium heat exchangers for the ADS based on extension theory

Researches about comprehensive, systemic and multi-level assessment methods are limit. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment method of heat exchangers based on extension theory is proposed. Heat transfer, pressure drop, mechanism, safety and reliability, economy, structure, mechanism and production performance are considered and evaluated in detail. By using this method, the comprehensive performances of the shell-tube and printed circuit heat exchangers as the intermediate heat exchanger of the accelerator driven sub-critical system are evaluated for comparison. The results show that the economy performance and pressure drop for the shell-tube heat exchanger attain the highest grades because the processing technology is mature and flow velocity is lower. However, the structure performance parameter is the lowest level due to its large volume and mass. For the printed circuit heat exchanger, the safety and reliability performance attains the lowest grade due to its easily blocked mini-channels and the manufactured thin plate. However, the mechanism performance shows the highest grade. In addition, the pressure drop performance also attains the highest grade due to its large cross-sectional area and low flow velocity. In conclusion, the comprehensive performance of the printed circuit heat exchanger is theoretically better than the shell-tube heat exchanger.

Efficiency amplified: Enhancing energy performance in biodiesel vacuum thermal water removal system

Thermal vacuum is a common method for removing water from biodiesel, where water content is one of the biggest challenges in the implementation of biodiesel as a fuel. This process has been confirmed through performance testing in this study and has successfully reduced the water content of biodiesel by 65.8 %. There is potential to improve the energy performance of this process by using heat exchangers. Accordingly, this study presents both experimental and economic evaluations to find the efficacy of shell-tube heat exchangers and plate heat exchangers in biodiesel vacuum thermal water removal system. The heat exchangers were designed with a capacity of 300 L/hour to facilitate the heat transfer between a 35 °C and a 105 °C fluids. This experiment included performance tests analyzed by the effectiveness-Number of Transfer Units (Ɛ-NTU) method and economic analysis. The shell-tube heat exchangers employed 189 tubes and three shells with a total heat transfer area of 18.5 m2, whereas the plate heat exchangers consisted of two U-type units with a total heat transfer area of 4.41 m2. The effectiveness and NTU provided by plate heat exchangers are 86.33 % and 6.02, while by shell-tube heat exchangers are 70.64 % and 2,81 respectively. From the economic analysis, plate heat exchangers and shell-tube heat exchangers were able to reduce annual process costs by IDR 76,818,565 and IDR 76,818,565 respectively. These findings indicate that implementing plate heat exchangers in the biodiesel vacuum thermal water removal system is more advantageous than utilizing shell-tube heat exchangers.

Simulation of a shell-tube heat exchanger in the oil and gas industry

From the analysis of available literary sources, it follows that the most effective way of introducing heat exchangers into production processes is by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. This method also involves fine-tuning the components from which the model is formed. Energy efficiency, safety, and stable functionality of units are key aspects of production activities. CFD modeling provides ample opportunities for studying heat exchange processes in thermal installations, such as tubular heat exchangers. Optimizing the operation of such systems implies careful adjustments, including creating a three-dimensiona l model taking into account real dimensions, and flexible adjustment of various flow regimes and thermal conditions. 
 Process flow heating and cooling processes are standard practice in various industries. These operations are often performed in heat exchangers where the fluid flows through tubes in laminar conditions. Heat transfer mechanisms in such conditions are complex and not yet fully explored, as they include both forced and natural convection. This creates difficulties in accurately predicting the design of the heat exchanger. The use of simplified geometric models and limited information about oil refining processes in computer simulations significantly affects the analysis and optimization possibilities. This approach can significantly accelerate the development of new types of heat exchangers. Current research emphasizes design changes to improve heat transfer and other performance. 
 Previous studies note a lack of specific recommendations for design improvement, incomplete investigation of the causes of inaccurate results, and insufficient detail of important parameters. This study presents the model setup steps with emphasis on the important details of the heat exchanger. The grid adjustment process and the properties of the incoming oil are described. The impact of turbulence on crude oil and steam temperature changes is considered. The influence of speed on the heat exchange coefficient was also analyzed in detail, and prospects for further optimization were determined. The application of computer modeling in the oil and gas industry is important. It is a key tool for improving the efficiency, security, and sustainability of operations in the industry. 
 Computer modeling allows you to predict and optimize processes, create accurate virtual models of objects, analyze their security, and research new technologies. It also facilitates economic analysis, staff training, and innovation. As a result, computer simulation improves decisions, reduces risks, and promotes the development of the entire oil and gas industry. It is one of the effective methods of studying physical systems. Often, computer models are easier and more convenient to study, they allow conducting computational experiments, the real setting of which is difficult or can give an unpredictable result. All these aspects together are aimed at a deeper and more detailed understanding of heat exchange processes, which reveals the potential for improving this process in the future. 
 The main focus in this context is on the fundamental aspects of developing simulation models when using specialized software. The obtained results of the analysis and adjustment allow a deeper understanding of the model configuration process and the prospects for its further optimization. Increasing the flow rate promotes more efficient heat exchange due to the higher velocity of the medium. A linear dependence of the heat distribution along the length of the pipe and the heat transfer coefficient is obtained in the process of modeling.

Improvement of the strength calculation of the tube plate of the shell-tube heat exchanger

The purpose of the article is to improve the strength calculation of the tube plate of the shell-and-tube heat exchanger, which is regulated by the interstate standard in force in Ukraine. On the basis of standard tables, dot plots of the change in coefficients were constructed and analyzed, which take into account the supporting effect of pipes Ф1, Ф2, Ф3 depending on the dimensionless parameter of the board-pipe system ω and the dependence of the stiffness coefficient of the perforated board on the coefficient of pressure effect on the tube plate from the side of the tube space ηТ. It is proposed to approximate these dependencies with simple mathematical equations. As a result, it was proposed to use the cubic regression Ф1 = 0,0422ω3 + 0,2305ω2 – 0,2367ω + 2,0179 to describe the dependence of Ф1 = f1(ω) in the range of ω from 0 to 3 and when changing ω from 3 to 11, apply quadratic regression Ф1 = – 0,0286ω2 + 1,8012ω – 0,6171. The dependence of Ф2 = f2(ω) in the range of changing ω from 0 to 0,5 due to a slight change in the function can be described by the linear equation Ф2 = 0.04ω, when changing ω from 0,5 to 2 - by the cubic regression Ф2 = 0,0133ω3 + 0,48ω2 – 0,4033ω + 0,1, and when changing ω from 2 to 11 – by cubic regression Ф2 = 0,0046ω3 – 0,1129ω2 + 1,8692ω – 1,8821. The dependence Ф3 = f3(ω) in the range of ω change from 0 to 0,5 is described by the linear equation Ф3 = 0,38ω, when ω changes from 0,5 to 3 – by cubic regression Ф3 = – 0,2296ω3 + 1,3541ω2 – 0,4884ω + 0,1233, and when ω changes from 3 to 11 – cubic regression Ф3 = – 0,0054ω3 + 0,1060ω2 + 0,7576ω + 1,6129. The discrete tabular dependence of ψ0 on ηТ can be approximated by cubic regression ψ0 = – 0,3419ηТ3 + 1,8834ηТ2 – 0,6915ηТ + 0,1153. The obtained formulas make it possible to abandon the use of standard tables and additional interpolation of intermediate values of the coefficients Ф1, Ф2, Ф3 and ψ0 when performing calculations, which in turn simplifies both the calculation itself and the development of appropriate computer programs. The average value of the errors of the performed approximations is in the range from 0% to 2.05%, which indicates a high level of coincidence of the regression equations with the actual values. The use of the proposed formulas for the dependences of the coefficients Ф1 = f1(ω), Ф2 = f2(ω), Ф3 = f3(ω) and ψ0 = f(ηТ) makes it possible to simplify the calculation of the tube plate of shell-and-tube heat exchangers for strength.

Experimental investigation of the performance attributes of a thermal energy storage unit using different system configurations

One of the goals engineers pursue in the energy production and recovery field is to design a heat exchanger that can store a large amount of thermal energy in a shorter time. This work practically tests the performance attributes of a latent heat thermal energy storage system in a vertical shell-tube heat exchanger configuration. Water flows in the tubes that are arranged as circular layers at certain radii in the shell, which is occupied by organic paraffin phase change material (RT60). The experiments consider the effects of the tube area ratio, layer radius ratio, number of tube layers, and distribution of the tubes (inline/staggered), besides incorporating semi-circular tubes instead of complete circular ones. These experiments are conducted by employing heating water (65 °C to 75 °C) during the charging process and cooling water (25 °C) during the discharging process. The key findings from this work are that increasing the radius ratio from 1/3 to 2/3, employing semicircular tubes instead of complete ones, increasing the area ratio from 2.4% to 4.3%, and distributing the same number of tubes in two layers rather than one layer provide reductions in the charging time of 7.2%, 7.3%, 17.6%, and 11%, respectively. The corresponding augmentations in the charging/discharging effectiveness are 8.1%/2.6%, 7.4%/3.3%, 19.7%/5.7%, and 8%/4.5%, respectively. Moreover, by applying a staggered distribution of the tubes instead of an inline one, the charging effectiveness is amplified by 5.3%. Finally, a set of experimental correlations is developed to predict the charging effectiveness of the storage system.

Enhancement of heat transfer rate in shell & tube heat exchanger using CuO/Al2O3-water based nanofluids

It is well known that saving energy is one of the most important concerns of every industry and its utilization or the possible mode/devices for the transferring of it is an important parameter. For chemical industries, heat exchangers are backbone of them. Now a days Nano-fluids along with heat exchanger can be an option to enhance the heat transfer rate. So, Shell and Tube heat exchanger are frequently using by the several industries for heat removal/exchange purposes. These Nano-particles or Nano-fluids help to increase the heat transfer rate by providing large surface area. Using this quality of Nano-fluid along with Shell and Tube heat exchanger is main focus of present work. So, an attempt is made to perform the analysis for quantification of the effects of concentration of nanofluid on the various design parameter of Shell-Tube heat exchanger device i.e., heat transfer characteristic and fluid flow characteristic and also studied the effect of nanofluid concentration on thermal physical properties of Al2O3-water and CuO-water based nanofluid. Results are suggested better heat transfer capabilities of Nano-fluid over normal by doing comparable study for the nanofluid in terms of thermo-physical properties that is thermal conductivity, density and viscosity with base fluid in Shell-Tube heat exchanger. It can suggest easily that nanofluid gives excellent heat transfer coefficient than pure water (base fluid) so the result comes out in the form of reduced area for heat transfer with similar heat exchange capacity. Effect of Nano-particles concentration on the values of Reynolds number (Re) and Prandtl number (Pr) was also observed and it is found that Re and Pr is decreases with increasing value of particle concentration in the base fluid.

Melting/solidification of phase change material in a multi-tube heat exchanger in the presence of metal foam: effect of the geometrical configuration of tubes

One of the likely methods for enhancing heat transfer in a latent thermal energy storage system is the conception of a thermal unit. In this study, the orientation of oval tubes (horizontal, vertical, and oblique) in phase change material (PCM, C19-C20)-based shell-tube heat exchanger was analyzed with respect to the metal foam (MF) type (graphite, copper, and nickel) in comparison to the case of pure PCM. For this purpose, a two-dimensional mathematical model was developed to investigate the thermal efficiency of the PCM-metal foam based composite energy storage unit. It was concluded that the orientation of the oval tubes (oblique, horizontal, and vertical) has a negligible impact on the performance of the thermal unit during the melting/solidification processes. Based on the liquid/solid fraction, total enthalpy and the average temperature in the annular space, the performance of a heat exchanger during fusion/solidification periods is in the order: copper-MF > graphite-MF > nickel-MF > pure PCM. Whatever the adopted MF or the geometry of tubes, the melting process is expedited compared to the solidification mechanism.

A REVIEW OF MECHANOCALORIC REFRIGERATION DEVICES FROM 2012 TO 2020

Solid-State room temperature refrigeration devices have been reported extensively in the last decades with a focus on magnetocaloric effect materials, a thermal response to an applied magnetic field in a solid refrigerant. Currently, the limitations to generate large magnetic fields needed for better efficiencies have posed a challenge to rival current standard vapor compression cycles. Conventional refrigerants in standard vapor cycles are expected to contribute to global warming close to 25000 kgCO2,eq over the next 100 years. The need to overcome such challenges has driven a search for alternative i-caloric effects such as electrocaloric which is the thermal response of the material to the application of an electric field and mechanocaloric, a thermal response to the application of a stress field. Recently, the latter effect is being reported and categorized by the type of stress field applied. They are named elastocaloric for uniaxial stress, barocaloric for isostatic stress, and torsiocaloric for pure shear. Due to its simple stress, elastocaloric regenerators with shape memory alloys (SMA) were reported first. With a design similar to shell-tube heat exchanger with SMA being the shell and tubes while the heat transfer fluids (HTF) flows within the tubes. Promising thermodynamic cycle parameters such as coefficient of performance COP 11.0 with a temperature span of 24.6 K subject to a strain of 4.5% have been achieved with this design. Another device was reported working in a continuous non-regenerative manner with steady state being reached within seconds presented COP of 9.5 and a heat load of 250 W for a temperature span of 10K. As for barocaloric materials some researchers announced that are currently developing devices with these phenomena. Its main challenge is to elaborate a design that allows cyclic isostatic stress application, usually achieved by encapsulating the barocaloric material. One research group presented a study on a simulated active barocaloric regenerator on metal alloys and Acetoxy Silicone Rubber (ASR). The most recent mechanocaloric effect is the torsiocaloric. Two devices for measuring the torsiocaloric effect where presented, one in a batch form and another setup similar to a heat exchanger shell-tube where the tube is the solid-state refrigerant that can be twisted while in direct contact with the HTF flowing on the shell side. Thus, we aim to provide an in-depth analysis of recent studies of mechanocaloric devices describing their working cycles, thermodynamic parameters, HTF circuits and comparing their design choices, and forecast the design of near future mechanocaloric solid-state devices.

Analysis and implementation of certain multivariate statistical process monitoring Tools for fault detection and isolation (FDI) task in a laboratory scale shell-tube heat exchanger

Early detection and diagnosis of faulty events in industrial processes can represent economic, social and environmental profits. When the process has a great quantity of sensors or actuators, the Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) task is very difficult. Advanced statistical based FDI methods are extensively used for fault detection and isolation purposes. In this work, three multivariate statistical techniques such as neural network based Principal Component Analysis (PCA), neural network-based Fischer Discriminant Analysis (FDA) and Correspondence Analysis (CA) was applied to the multivariate data extracted from laboratory scale shell and tube heat exchanger. Performance metric such as detection delay, estimated time of occurrence of fault, misclassification rate was computed for those three techniques for the detection and isolation of biases in sensors and actuators. Correspondence Analysis was proven to perform better when compared to PCA and FDA. CA was observed to perform FDI with minimal detection delay (which is less than or equal to 7 seconds) and lower misclassification rate (which is less than or equal to 6%) in case of both sensor & actuator faults. PCA and FDA showed significant detection delay and missed alarm rate for single and multiple fault identification.

Design of Shell Tube Heat Exchanger Using Vibration Analysis

Abstract: The condenser with BXM configuration in manicoy and Agatti plant worked well without any accident, but the condenser with BXV configuration in karavati plant failed six times in a year. The vortex shedding, elastic instability and accoustic vibration of the tube bundle this parameter are analyzed. And further modes of vibration and fundamental are studied with parameters like tube pitch, span and cross flow velocity were made. Optimum tube pitch for allowable cross flow velocity, minimum amplitude of vibration short span lengths for vibration free heat exchanger are determined. Vibration analysis results find for BHM to BXM type heat exchange installed in Minicoy and Agatti Desalination Plants. Shell and Tube Heat exchangers are with TEMA configuration BHM in Minicoy and Agatti desalination plants and BXM in Kavaratti with fresh nominal water generation capacity is 100 m3/day. Keywords: Heat Exchanger, vibration, tube, span length, pipe, Temperature.

Experimental study on the on-line cleaning system influencing the heat transfer performance of shell-tube heat exchanger

Experimental study on the on-line cleaning system influencing the heat transfer performance of shell-tube heat exchanger

CFD analysis and comparison of conventional type and perforated plate type shell tube heat exchangers

Abstract The baffle plate is the most important elements affecting not only the thermal efficiency but also the hydraulic performance of shell-tube heat exchangers that can be designed in different types today and can be put into the production phase. Different designs of baffle plates are closely related to thermal performance with pressure drop as well. In this investigation, the design geometry of the shell-tube type was carried out by means of the ANSYS Fluent program. In the analyses, it is purposed to examine the consequences on the heat transfer rate per drop of pressure and not only the pressure’s drop but also the coefficient parameter of heat transfer of the exchangers in which traditional one-piece type baffle plate and perforated type baffle plate are used where the shell side. Here, water is used as the working fluid; it was examined as 1.2, 1.5, 1.8 and 2.1 kg/h at four varied mass flow rates (m). As a result, the values compared to the traditional one-piece baffle plate and the perforated type baffle plate. It has been monitored that the heat transfer rates per drop of pressure vary.

Effects of Mechanical Vibration on the Heat Transfer Performance of Shell-Tube Heat Exchanger Units During Charging Process

Effects of Mechanical Vibration on the Heat Transfer Performance of Shell-Tube Heat Exchanger Units During Charging Process

Computational fluid dynamic simulations to improve heat transfer in shell tube heat exchangers

Abstract Improving the thermal efficiency of shell-tube heat exchangers is essential in industries related to these heat exchangers. Installing heat transfer boosters on the side of the converter tube is one of the most appropriate ways to enhance heat transfer and increase the efficiency of this equipment. In this article, spring turbulence is studied using the computational fluid dynamics tool. The displacement heat transfer coefficient and the friction coefficient were selected as the primary target parameters, and the effect of using spring tabulators on them was investigated. The ratio of torsion step length to turbulence pipe length, wire diameter to pipe diameter ratio, and flow regime was studied as the main simulation variables, and the simulation results were compared with a simple pipe. The effect of water-acting fluid, R22, and copper Nanofluid on tubes containing turbidity was compared and investigated. This study showed that due to the pressure drop, the pipe with a torsional pitch to pipe length ratio of 0.17, a turbulent diameter to pipe diameter ratio of 0.15, and a Reynolds number of 50,000 with fluid R22 has the best performance for heat transfer.

Use of Organic and Copper-Based Nanoparticles on the Turbulator Installment in a Shell Tube Heat Exchanger: A CFD-Based Simulation Approach by Using Nanofluids

Heat exchangers with unique specifications are administered in the food industry, which has expanded its sphere of influence even to the automotive industry due to this feature. It has been used for convenient maintenance and much easier cleaning. In this study, two different nanomaterials, such as Cu-based nanoparticles and an organic nanoparticle of Chloro-difluoromethane (R22), were used as nanofluids to enhance the efficiency of heat transfer in a turbulator. It is simulated by computational fluid dynamics software (Ansys-Fluent) to evaluate the Nusselt number versus Reynolds number for different variables. These variables are diameter ratio, torsion pitch ratio, and two different nanofluids through the shell tube heat exchanger. It is evident that for higher diameter ratios, the Nusselt number has been increased significantly in higher Reynolds numbers as the heat transfer has been increased in turbulators. For organic fluids (R22), the Nusselt number has been increased significantly in higher Reynolds numbers as the heat transfer has been increased in turbulators due to the proximity of heat transfer charges. At higher torsion pitch ratios, the Nusselt number has been increased significantly in the higher Reynolds number as the heat transfer has been increased in turbulators, especially in higher velocities and pipe turbulence torsions.

Manufacturing and Characterization of Tube-Filled ZA27 Metal Foam Heat Exchangers

This study investigates the heat transfer performance of a novel ZA27 metal foam heat exchanger. An open-celled metal foam is combined with a thin-walled copper tube in a single-step casting process. The heat transfer between two separated water streams flowing through the copper tube and foam, respectively, is measured and compared to an equivalent shell tube heat exchanger arrangement. Heat transfer enhancement of up to 71% and a heat transfer rate exceeding 30 kW are observed and attributed to the increased surface area of the metallic foam. However, overall performance was limited by the inefficient heat transfer between the internal mass stream and the copper tube.