Computation of heat transfer enhancement in a plate‐fin heat exchanger with triangular inserts and delta wing vortex generator

Longitudinal vortices disrupt the growth of the thermal boundary layer, thereby the vortex generators producing the longitudinal vortices are well known for the enhancement of heat transfer in compact heat exchangers. The present investigation determines the heat transfer characteristics with secondary flow analysis in plate fin triangular ducts with delta wing vortex generators. This geometrical configuration is investigated for various angles of attack of the wing i.e. 15°, 20°, 26° and 37° and Reynolds numbers 100 and 200. The constant wall temperature boundary condition is used. The solution of the complete Navier Stokes equation and the energy equation is carried out using the staggered grid arrangement. The performance of the combination of triangular secondary fins and delta wing with stamping on slant surfaces has also been studied. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.