Pulsating flows in heat exchangers - an experimental study

The effect of pulsating flows on the performance of a heat exchanger is studied experimentally. The experiments are conducted in a steam-water, double pipe heat exchanger for 500<Re<2200. The axial variation of the heat transfer coefficient is determined by collecting condensate at a number of axial sections. The results are presented in terms of a dimensionless distance and a dimensionless frequency. The results are compared with the experimental results of other investigations. It is found that the results, if expressed in terms of the new parameters mentioned above, can be analysed in a rational manner. The contradictory experimental data, available in the literature, can be compared on this basis. It is also observed that pulsation can be made use of to augment heat transfer in heat exchangers with high Prandtl number fluids. © 1982 Springer-Verlag.