CI-01-04-1 -- Three-Dimensional Thermal-Hydraulic Analysis in Convex Louver Finned-Tube Heat Exchangers PDF

A numerical study of laminar flow and heat transfer over a two-row and three-dimensional convex louver fin-and-tube heat exchanger is presented. The effects of different geometrical parameters, including convex louver angles (q = 15.5º, 20.0º, 24.0º), louver pitch (Lp = 0.953 mm, 1.588 mm), and fin pitch (8 fins/in., 10 fins/in., 15 fins/in.), are investigated in detail for the Reynolds number Re_H (based on the fin spacing and the frontal velocity (1-5 m/s) ranging from 100 to 1100. It is found that for equal louver pitch, both the average Nusselt number and pressure drop coefficient are increased as the convex louver angle is increased; while for equal convex louver angle, they are decreased as the louver pitch is increased. A comparison of the numerical results with the available experimental data is presented.

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