Numerical study on thermal-hydraulic characteristics of flattened microfin tubes

Abstract The thermal-hydraulic characteristics and performance of the circular and flattened straight tubes with longitudinal inward microfins are studied with isothermal wall condition and Reynold numbers (Re) between 10,000 and 30,000. The geometric models with fins (8, 12, and 16 fins) and three flattening ratios (1.4, 2, and 3.4) are considered for the simulation. The results indicate that the longitudinal microfins have a limited effect on the improvement of heat transfer, but the application of microfins increases the pressure drop significantly. Furthermore, an increase in Reynolds number increases the heat transfer characteristics. Therefore, a discriminative use of longitudinal microfins for circular tubes to improve thermal performance is advised. Flattening the microfin tubes has shown a significant increase in heat transfer coefficient and friction factor compared to circular cross-section tubes with microfins. The percentage gain in heat transfer with the flattening ratio of 3.4 is about 52% compared to the circular fin tube at Re = 30,000. A 61% increase in centreline velocity is observed at Re = 10,000. Area-based Enhancement Factor (AEF) and performance evolution factor (PEF) are more than 1 for flattened tubes with microfins. It shows an improvement in the overall thermal-hydraulic characteristics of tubes.