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Numerical investigation of heat transfer and fluid flow in plain fin-and-tube heat exchanger

The objective of the present numerical study is to investigate the air side thermal-hydraulic characteristics for water-to-air heat exchanger. For the purpose of numerical analysis, 3D mathematical model is developed and implemented, using governing equations of fluid flow and heat transfer, and boundary conditions. The fluid is considered incompressible with constant properties and the flow is assumed to be steady-state and laminar. All the computational work is carried out using the finite volume method by means of CFD software ANSYS FLUENT 18.2. The coupling between velocity and pressure is performed with the SIMPLE algorithm and the Power Law scheme is used for the treatment of convection- diffusion terms. Numerical mesh is validated by performing a grid independence study. A comparison of the numerical results with obtained experimental data shows good agreement. Numerical simulations have been performed for Reynolds number in a range 285 < Re < 690, with corresponding frontal air velocity ranging from 0.825 to 2 m/s. Inlet air and water temperatures are 288.7 K and 323 K, respectively. Numerically obtained temperature contours and velocity vectors in the mid-plane between two fins and near the fin surface have been presented. Finally, dependence of average air-side Nusselt number on Reynolds number has been analysed.

Fin-and-tube heat exchanger ; Numerical study ; The finite volume method

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