Fouling resistance model for prediction of CaCO3 scaling in AISI 316 tubes

The term fouling is generally used to describe the deposition of unwanted (initially fluid) particles, which increases both resistance to heat transfer and pressure drop through the heat exchanger. CaCO₃ which is predominantly present in the cooling water, has inverse solubility characteristics i.e., it is less soluble in warm water, resulting in deposition of scales in heat transfer equipment. An experimental program is described in this paper to study the growth of fouling as a function of tube surface temperature, Reynolds number, tube diameter and the time for which the tube has been subjected to the scale forming solution. The data collected from the experiments are used to develop a fouling resistance model. In addition, the results obtained from the present study are also compared with those discussed earlier by several investigators with regard to CaCO₃ fouling.     

Effect of nanofluids on the performance of a miniature plate heat exchanger with modulated surface

In the present work, the effect of the use of a nanofluid in a miniature plate heat exchanger (PHE) with modulated surface has been studied both experimentally and numerically. First, the thermophysical properties (i.e., thermal conductivity, heat capacity, viscosity, density and surface tension) of a typical nanofluid (CuO in water, 4% v/v) were systematically measured. The effect of surface modulation on heat transfer augmentation and friction losses was then investigated by simulating the existing miniature PHE as well as a notional similar PHE with flat plate using a CFD code. Finally, the effect of the nanofluid on the PHE performance was studied and compared to that of a conventional cooling fluid (i.e., water). The results suggest that, for a given heat duty, the nanofluid volumetric flow rate required is lower than that of water causing lower pressure drop. As a result, smaller equipment and less pumping power are required. In conclusion, the use of the nanofluids seems to be a promising solution towards designing efficient heat exchanging systems, especially when the total volume of the equipment is the main issue. The only drawbacks so far are the high price and the possible instability of the nanoparticle suspensions.     

Fully-developed conjugate heat transfer in porous media with uniform heating

We propose a computational method for approximating the heat transfer coefficient of fully-developed flow in porous media. For a representative elementary volume of the porous medium we develop a transport model subject to periodic boundary conditions that describes incompressible fluid flow through a uniformly heated porous solid. The transport model uses a pair of pore-scale energy equations to describe conjugate heat transfer. With this approach, the effect of solid and fluid material properties, such as volumetric heat capacity and thermal conductivity, on the overall heat transfer coefficient can be investigated. To cope with geometrically complex domains we develop a numerical method for solving the transport equations on a Cartesian grid. The computational method provides a means for approximating the heat transfer coefficient of porous media where the heat generated in the solid varies “slowly” with respect to the space and time scales of the developing fluid. We validate the proposed method by computing the Nusselt number for fully developed laminar flow in tubes of rectangular cross section with uniform wall heat flux. Detailed results on the variation of the Nusselt number with system parameters are presented for two structured models of porous media: an inline and a staggered arrangement of square rods. For these configurations a comparison is made with literature on fully-developed flows with isothermal walls.     

Computer simulation of Cu: AlOOH/water in a microchannel heat sink using a porous media technique and solved by numerical analysis AGM and FEM

Extensive improvements in small-scale thermal systems in electronic circuits, automotive industries, and microcomputers conduct the study of microsystems as essential. Flow and thermic field characteristics of the coherent nanofluid-guided microchannel heat sink are described in this perusal. The porous media approximate was used to search the heat distribution in the expanded sheet and Cu: γ - AlOOH/water. A hybrid blend of Boehme copper and aluminum nanoparticles is evaluated to have a cooling effect on the microchannel heat sink. By using Akbari Ganji and finite element methods, linear and non-linear differential equations as well as simple dimensionless equations have been analyzed. The purpose of this study is to investigate the fluid and thermal parameters of copper hybrid solution added to water, such as Nusselt number and Darcy number so that we can reach the best cooling of the fluid. Also, by installing a piece of fin on the wall of the heat sink, the coefficient of conductive heat transfer and displacement heat transfer with the surrounding air fluid increases, and the efficiency of the system increases. The overall results show that expanding values on the NP (series heat transfer fluid system maximizes performance with temperatures) volume division of copper, as well as boehmite alumina particles, lead to a decrease within the stream velocity of the Cu: AlOOH/water. Increasing the volume fraction of nanoparticles in the hybrid mixture decreases the temperature of the solid surface and the hybrid nanofluid. The Brownian movement improves as the volume percentage of nanoparticles in the hybrid mixture grows, spreading the heat across the environment. As a result, heat transmission rates rise. As the Darcy number increases, the thermal field for solid sections and Cu: AlOOH/water improves.     

Comparative numerical study of single and two-phase models of nanofluid heat transfer in wavy channel

The main purpose of this study is to survey numerically comparison of two- phase and single phase of heat transfer and flow field of copper-water nanofluid in a wavy channel. The computational fluid dynamics （CFD） prediction is used for heat transfer and flow prediction of the single phase and three different two-phase models （mixture, volume of fluid （VOF）, and Eulerian）. The heat transfer coefficient, temperature, and velocity distributions are investigated. The results show that the differences between the temperature fie].d in the single phase and two-phase models are greater than those in the hydrodynamic tleld. Also, it is found that the heat transfer coefficient predicted by the single phase model is enhanced by increasing the volume fraction of nanoparticles for all Reynolds numbers; while for the two-phase models, when the Reynolds number is low, increasing the volume fraction of nanoparticles will enhance the heat transfer coefficient in the front and the middle of the wavy channel, but gradually decrease along the wavy channel.     

A review on transient test techniques for obtaining heat transfer design data of compact heat exchanger surfaces

Accurate and reliable dimensionless heat transfer characteristic is very essential for the analysis of heat exchangers. It is also required for the rating and sizing problems of heat exchangers. One of the important experimental methods used to determine the heat transfer coefficient between the heat transfer surface of the heat exchanger and the flowing fluid is transient test techniques. The transient test techniques are usually employed to establish Colburn factor versus Reynolds number characteristics of a high NTU heat exchanger surfaces like compact or matrix heat exchangers. In those situations, a single-blow test, where only one fluid is used, is employed to conduct the transient test. The transient technique may have the fluid inlet temperature having a step change, periodic or an arbitrary rise/drop. In this paper, various transient test techniques that are used for the determination of heat transfer characteristics of high NTU heat exchanger surfaces are discussed.     

Optimization of the numerical treatment of the Darcy–Forchheimer flow of Ree–Eyring fluid with chemical reaction by using artificial neural networks

In this study, Darcy Forchheimer flow paradigm, which is a useful paradigm in fields such as petroleum engineering where high flow velocity effects are common, has been analyzed with artificial intelligence approach. In this context, first of all, Darcy–Forchheimer flow of Ree–Eyring fluid along a permeable stretching surface with convective boundary conditions has been examined and heat and mass transfer mechanisms have been investigated by including the effect of chemical process, heat generation/absorption, and activation energy. Cattaneo–Christov heat flux model has been used to analyze heat transfer properties. Within the scope of optimizing Darcy–Forchheimer flow of Ree–Eyring fluid; three different artificial neural network models have been developed to predict Nusselt number, Sherwood number, and skin friction coefficient values. The developed artificial neural network model has been able to predict Nusselt number, Sherwood number, and skin friction coefficient values with high accuracy. The findings obtained as a result of the study showed that artificial neural networks are an ideal tool that can be used to model Darcy–Forchheimer Ree–Eyring fluid flow towards a permeable stretch layer with activation energy and a convective boundary condition.     

Thermal performance of heat pipe with suspended nano-particles

Nanofluids are employed as the working medium for a conventional cylindrical heat pipe. A cylindrical copper heat pipe of 19.5?mm outer diameter and 400?mm length was fabricated and tested with two different working fluids. The working fluids used in this study are DI-water and Nano-particles suspension (mixture of copper nano particle and DI-water). The overall heat transfer coefficient of the heat pipe was calculated based on the lumped thermal resistance network and compared with the heat transfer coefficient of base fluid filled heat pipe. There is a quantitative improvement in the heat transfer coefficient using nano-particles suspension as the working medium. A heat transfer correlation was also developed based on multiple regression least square method and the results were compared with that obtained by the experiment.     

Heat transfer and heat transfer fouling in Kraft black liquor evaporators

A large number of experiments have been performed with New Zealand Forest Products Kraft black liquor to measure heat transfer coefficients and fouling rates during convective and subcooled flow boiling heat transfer as a function of surface temperature, bulk temperature, velocity, and solids concentration. Results from experiments with two chemical fouling inhibitors, with Teflon surface coating and in plate and frame heat exchangers, also are presented. The fouling deposits are analyzed with respect to appearance, composition, and process conditions for which they were obtained. With the assumption of chemical reaction-controlled fouling, a deposition model is developed and compared with the experimental data.     

Performance evaluation and optimization of semi-dimpled slit fin

In this paper, the semi-dimpled slit fin is proposed and the characteristics of heat transfer and fluid flow are analyzed based on the orthogonal experiment design method. A serial studies on the effects of fin pitch, arrangement of semi-dimple, dimple radius on heat transfer and flow characteristics of semi-dimpled slit fin are investigated. The computational results show fin pitch (Fp) has significantly effected on the performance of heat transfer and fluid flow, the influence of arrangement of semi-dimple, the dimple radius (R) and the opening direction of semi-dimples dwindle. At the same time, compared to the general semi-dimpled slit fin, the heat transfer coefficient and JF factors of the optimized fin increase by 10.7–25.1 and 2.6–7.7 %, respectively. When Re ≤ 1,521, the overall performance of slit fin is better than that of optimized fin; while Re > 1,521, the overall performance of optimized fin is better than that of slit fin. Finally, the performance evaluation plot of enhanced heat transfer of heat exchanger is applied to analyze the optimized fin, it can be seen that optimization fin have better heat transfer performance under the same power consumption.     

Study of transient heat transfer and synchronized flow visualizations during sub-cooled flow boiling in a small aspect ratio microchannel

The challenges that microchannel flow boiling technology faces are the lack of understanding of underlying mechanisms of heat transfer during various flow boiling regimes and a dearth of analytical models that can predict heat transfer. This paper aims to understand flow boiling heat transfer mechanisms by analyzing results obtained by synchronously captured high-speed flow visualizations with local, transient temperature data. Using Inverse Heat Conduction Problem (IHCP) solution methodology, the transient wetted surface heat flux and temperature as well as heat transfer coefficient are calculated. These are then correlated with the visual data. Experiments are performed on a single microchannel embedded with fast response temperature sensors located (630 µm) below the wetted surface. The height, width and length of the microchannel are 0.42 mm, 2.54 mm and 25.4 mm respectively. De-ionized, de-gassed water is used as the working fluid. Two heat fluxes are tested at each of the mass fluxes of 182 kg/(m²s) and 380 kg/(m²s). Because of vapor confinement, slug flow is observed for the tested conditions. The present study provides detailed insights into the effect of various events such as passage of vapor slug, 3-phase contact line, partial-dry-out and liquid slug on transient heat transfer coefficient. Transient heat transfer coefficient peaks when thin film evaporation mechanism is prevalent. The peak value is influenced by the distance of bubble incipience as well as downstream events obstructing the flow. Heat transfer coefficient during the passage of liquid slug and 3-phase contact line were relatively lower for the tested experimental conditions.     

Effect of variable ambient temperature on fin efficiency in a two-dimensional flow passage

The fin efficiency in a heat exchanger element that is a simplification of one row in a tube-and-fin heat exchanger was theoretically examined within wide ranges of the affecting variables: the conventional fin efficiency and the isothermal effectiveness of the heat exchanger. These variables are suggested for use also in the further studies. An analytical solution can be found for the case of a constant heat transfer coefficient. The ambient temperature variation alone decreases the fin efficiency less than 4%. The local heat transfer coefficient obtained from the numerical fluid flow simulations is strongly affected by the fin properties because the thermal boundary conditions for the fluid flow changes. On a poorly conducting fin surface the heat transfer coefficient in front of the fin base is much larger than on an isothermal fin because the heat flux is increasing in the flow direction. At low fin efficiencies this compensates for the decrease in fin efficiency due to ambient temperature variation.     

Convective transport of nanoparticles in multi-layer fluid flow

Technologically, multi-layer fluid models are important in understanding fluid-fluid or fluid-nanoparticle interactions and their effects on flow and heat transfer characteristics. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, little attention has been paid to the study of three-layer fluid models with nanofluids. Therefore, a three-layer fluid flow model with nanofluids is formulated in this paper. The governing coupled nonlinear differential equations of the problem are non-dimensionalized by using appropriate fundamental quantities. The resulting multi-point boundary value problem is solved numerically by quasi-linearization and Richardson’s extrapolation with modified boundary conditions. The effects of the model parameters on the flow and heat transfer are obtained and analyzed. The results show that an increase in the nanoparticle concentration in the base fluid can modify the fluid-velocity at the interface of the two fluids and reduce the shear not only at the surface of the clear fluid but also at the interface between them. That is, nanofluids play a vital role in modifying the flow phenomena. Therefore, one can use nanofluids to obtain the desired qualities for the multi-fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics.     

Investigation of a heat transfer augmenter as a fouling cleaner and its optimum geometry in the tube side of a condenser

A spiral wire was used to augment the heat transfer inside the tubes of surface condensers or shell-and-tube heat exchangers. A spiral wire with a reinforcing component in the direction of the spiral axis has been investigated as a fouling cleaner on the internal surface of a tube, when it is driven in a reciprocating motion with the help of reinforcing wires. When it stays in the tube, it augments the convective heat transfer. Based on the an experimental investigation, the relationships among the heat transfer, drag, cleaning effectiveness, fouling rates, and geometric variables of the cleaner-augmenter performance were found. The results of the experimental investigations on the cleaner-augmenter and the comprehensive evaluation criterion for the device as a fouling cleaner are presented along with the dimensions of tube diameter, wire diameter, and pitch.     

Effect of flow and physical parameters on the wax deposition of Middle East crude oil under subsea condition: heat transfer viewpoint

Change in pressure, temperature, flow rate and concentration of oil causes precipitation and deposition of wax particles in the pipelines which has become a major problem for oil industries. By decreasing the capacity and economic efficiency of land oil reserves, demand for offshore reserves increases. Change in temperature in subsea pipelines is more possible and so the wax deposition happens under this condition more. Low water temperature and subsea condition change overall heat transfer coefficient and heat transfer rate in pipe cross-section which affects the wax transportation from bulk fluid to the wall. In this study, the effects of temperature, flow rate and oil characteristic in different pipeline diameters on Middle East oil which covers the most oil reserves of the world have been investigated under Persian Gulf water condition. Higher inlet temperature postpone the wax deposition to far locations and higher flow rate causes lower wax thickness in first stages of pipe and higher wax thickness after passing the first stage.     

Crystallization fouling of finned tubes during pool boiling: effect of fin density

Bubble characteristics such as density, size, frequency and motion are key factors that contribute to the superiority of nucleate pool boiling over other modes of heat transfer. Nevertheless, if heat transfer occurs in an environment prone to fouling, the very same parameters may lead to accelerated deposit formation due to concentration effects beneath the growing bubbles. This has led to the widely accepted design recommendation to maintain the heat transfer surface temperature below the boiling point if fouling may occur, e.g., in seawater desalination. The present paper aims at investigating the formation of deposits on finned tubes during nucleate pool boiling of CaSO₄ solutions. The test finned tubes are low finned tubes with fin densities of 19 and 26 fins/in. made from Cu–Ni. The fouling experiments were carried out at atmospheric pressure for different heat fluxes ranging from 100 to 300 kW/m² and a CaSO₄ concentration of 1.6 g/L. For the sake of comparison, similar runs were performed with smooth stainless steel tubes. The results show that: (1) the fouling resistance decreases with increasing fin density, (2) fouling on the finned tubes was reduced with increasing nucleate boiling activity and (3) if any fouling layer occurred on the finned tubes it could be removed easily.     

Steady mixed convection flow of Maxwell fluid over an exponentially stretching vertical surface with magnetic field and viscous dissipation

The steady mixed convection flow and heat transfer from an exponentially stretching vertical surface in a quiescent Maxwell fluid in the presence of magnetic field, viscous dissipation and Joule heating have been studied. The stretching velocity, surface temperature and magnetic field are assumed to have specific exponential function forms for the existence of the local similarity solution. The coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations governing the local similarity flow and heat transfer have been solved numerically by Chebyshev finite difference method. The influence of the buoyancy parameter, viscous dissipation, relaxation parameter of Maxwell fluid, magnetic field and Prandtl number on the flow and heat transfer has been considered in detail. The Nusselt number increases significantly with the Prandtl number, but the skin friction coefficient decreases. The Nusselt number slightly decreases with increasing viscous dissipation parameter, but the skin friction coefficient slightly increases. Maxwell fluid reduces both skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number, whereas buoyancy force enhances them.     

Sedimentation and convective boiling heat transfer of CuO-water/ethylene glycol nanofluids

The convective boiling characteristics of dilute dispersions of CuO nanoparticles in water/ethylene glycol as a base fluid were studied at different operating conditions of (heat fluxes up to 174 kW m^?2, mass fluxes range of 353–1,059 kg m^?2 s^?1 and sub-cooling level of 343, 353 and 363 K) inside the annular duct. The convective boiling heat transfer coefficients of nanofluids in different concentrations (vol%) of nanoparticles (0.5, 1, and 1.5) were also experimentally quantified. Results demonstrated the significant augmentation of heat transfer coefficient inside the region with forced convection dominant mechanism and deterioration of heat transfer coefficient in region with nucleate boiling dominant heat transfer mechanism. Due to the scale formation around the heating section, fouling resistance was also experimentally measured. Experimental data showed that with increasing the heat and mass fluxes, the heat transfer coefficient and fouling resistance dramatically increase and rate of bubble formation clearly increases. Obtained results were then compared to some well-known correlations. Results of these comparisons demonstrated that experimental results represent the good agreement with those of obtained by the correlations. Consequently, Chen correlation is recommended for estimating the convective flow boiling heat transfer coefficient of dilute CuO-water/ethylene glycol based nanofluids.     

Experimental studies on heat and mass transfer performance of a coiled tube absorber for R134a-DMAC based absorption cooling system

Absorber is an important component in vapor absorption refrigeration system and its performance has greater influence in overall efficiency of absorption machines. Falling film heat and mass transfer in an absorber is greatly influenced by fluid properties, geometry of heat exchanger and its operating parameters. This paper presents on the results of experimental studies on the heat and mass transfer characteristics of a coiled tube falling film absorber, using 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluroethane(R-134a) and N-N Dimethyl Acetamide (DMAC) as working fluids. The effects of film Reynolds number, inlet solution temperature and cooling water temperature on absorber heat load, over all heat transfer coefficient and mass of refrigerant absorbed are presented and discussed. Normalized solution and coolant temperature profiles and refrigerant mass absorbed along the height of absorber are also observed from the experimental results. The optimum over all heat transfer coefficient for R-134a–DMAC solution found to be 726 W/m²K for a film Reynolds number of 350. The R-134a vapour absorption rate is maximum in the normalized coil height of 0.6 to 1.     

Fouling effects of geothermal water scale upon heat transfer around an elliptic cylinder

An experimental investigation has been conducted to clarify fouling effects of geothermal water scale deposited onto a surface upon its forced convection heat transfer characteristics. Examined is an elliptic cylinder of an axis ratio 1∶3, on which particles of silica scale are uniformly distributed. Local and mean heat transfer characteristics were measured for angles of attack 0° and 90°. Subsequently the fouling resistance is estimated from those results. Mean and turbulent fluctuating velocities were also measured in order to correlate the heat transfer features with the velocity field in the near wake of the elliptic cylinder.