In this study, 864 heat transfer experimental data points and 216 pressure drop experimental data points were used to compare the heat transfer and friction factor behavior of 3D-printed and traditional tubes under uniform wall heat flux boundary condition. Experiments were conducted in the entire flow region that covers laminar, transition, and turbulent regions. The inside diameter of the test tubes is around 2 mm, and the average inside wall surface roughness for traditional and 3D-printed tubes is 2.211 μ m and 35.249 μ m , respectively. Comparing with the traditional tubes, in the upper transition and the turbulent regions, the Nusselt numbers and Colburn j -factors of the 3D-printed tube under three different flow directions were enhanced by an average of 52.67% and 51.59% respectively. The greater relative roughness of the 3D-printed tube enhanced the heat transfer but also increased the pressure drop significantly. The friction factors for the 3D-printed tube in these regions also increased by an average of 154.44% compared with the traditional tube. The results also show that the effect of different flow directions on heat transfer and pressure drop of the 3D-printed tube is insignificant relative to roughness. Moreover, the 3D-printed tube has an earlier transition compared with the traditional tube.
Read full abstract