Effect of tube spacing on heat transfer performance of staggered tube bundles in the presence of vortex generators

Effect of longitudinal and transverse tube spacings has been investigated on the performance of staggered tube-bundles employed in fin-tube heat exchangers. The three-dimensional numerical study compares flow and heat transfer characteristics of tube bundles in the staggered arrangement confined between channel walls and subject to cross flow of air by using a finite volume-based developed computational code. For a steady laminar flow (Re D = 400), heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics in the presence of multiple pairs of vortex generators are presented. For fixed channel confinement, the flow Reynolds number and tube separations are varied. The objective is to identify the longitudinal and transverse tube separations of the staggered tube-bundle in the presence of vortex generators which would be associated with maximum enhancement in heat transfer and minimum pressure drop. © 2010 by Begell House, Inc.