Heat Transfer Over a Serrated Finned Tube, Paper Numerical Validation, ANSYS Fluent

Description

The present problem simulates the cooling process of a finned tube by air flow using ANSYS Fluent software. The simulation is based on the data in the reference article “A characteristic correlation for heat transfer over serrated finned tubes.”

The results are compared and validated with the results in the paper. In the real model, there is a tube with a certain length, in the direction of which several rows of fins are placed around the tube. So there is a tube with several rows of steel fins in the general model.

The open airflow with a temperature of 313.15 K and a velocity according to the defined Reynolds value moves towards the tube fins and performs the heat transfer process. The current model is designed in three dimensions using Design Modeler software.

The model includes a shallow rectangular area as a special area for free airflow around the serrated finned tube. Also, a tube with fins located on its outer wall is defined inside this air flow space, the number of fins of which is 24, and they are drawn smoothly and without angles.

The meshing of the present model has been done using ANSYS Meshing software. The mesh type is structured, and the element number equals 356240.

Methodology

In this simulation, only part of it is modeled using the symmetric boundary condition. It is assumed that the pipe’s inner wall has a constant temperature boundary condition equal to 473.15 K.

Conclusion

This work aims to investigate the heat transfer process and the cooling rate of the serrated finned tube in different Reynolds numbers, which are determined using the value of the Nusselt number.

At the end of the simulation process, the value of the Nusselt number on the tube wall was calculated and compared and validated with the values in the diagram in Figure 6 of the article.

This comparison of Nusselt number values has been performed in three different Reynolds numbers, including 2000, 5000, and 10000.

Also, after the completion of the solution process, we obtain two-dimensional contours related to pressure, velocity, and temperature, as well as two-dimensional velocity vectors.