[Katkade, 3(12): December, 2014] ISSN: 2277-9655
Scientific Journal Impact Factor: 3.449
(ISRA), Impact Factor: 2.114
http: // www.ijesrt.com © International Journal of Engineering Sciences & Research Technology
[165]
IJESRT
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES & RESEARCH
TECHNOLOGY
A Review: Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger Performance with different Fin Pattern
S D Katkade*, J H Bhangale, D D Palande
*ME Student Mechanical Engineering Dept, MCERC, Nasik, India
Associate Prof. & HOD Mechanical Engineering Dept, MCERC, Nasik, India
Associate Prof. , Mechanical Engineering Dept, MCERC, Nasik, India
Abstract
Various methods are used to increase rate of heat transfer without affecting much the overall performance of the
system. These techniques are used in heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are used in various applications in day to
day life. Some of the applications of heat exchangers are-in process industries, thermal Power plants, air-
conditioning equipments, refrigerators, radiators for space vehicles, automobiles etc. The present paper is a review
of the various methods used to increase the heat transfer performance by using different types of fins. The
performance of different fin types is evaluated at different Reynolds number, fin pitch, number of tube rows etc.
Keywords: heat exchanger, fins, friction factor, pressure drop.
Introduction
Heat exchanger is a basic component in industrial
system involving the process of heat transfer
Improved design fins are used as a effective way to
improve the performance of heat exchanger. Heat
exchangers are widely used in air-conditioning,
refrigeration, processing industry. Compact heat
exchangers are also used in automobile industries,
radiators, evaporators, condensers, and charge air
coolers. In these applications, the heat transfer
performance is normally limited by the thermal
resistance on the air side of the heat exchangers. Fins
are also used in cooling of electronic components and
gas turbine blades. In these applications, fins are used
in simple designs such as rectangular, triangular,
parabolic, annular, and pin rod fins or complicated
designs such as spiral fins.
The objective of this study is to investigate the
characteristics of air-side heat transfer for fin-tube
heat exchangers with different types of fins. The j-
factors of the spiral-type circular fin-tube heat
exchangers were measured by varying the fin pitch,
number of tube rows, and fin alignment. In addition,
the present study aims to propose air-side heat
transfer correlations(j-factors) for spiral-type circular
fin tube heat exchangers based on a very reliable
database as a function of the Reynolds number,
number of tube rows, and dimensionless fin pitch
normalized by the hydraulic diameter.
Review of work carried out
L.H. Tang, M. Zeng, Q.W. Wang
[1]
have investigated
characteristics of air-side heat transfer and friction of
five kinds of fin-and-tube heat exchangers (crimped
spiral fin, plain fin, slit fin, fin with delta-wing
longitudinal vortex generators and mixed fin), with
the 12 number of rows and the diameter of tubes 18
mm ,with Reynolds number ranging from 4000-
10000. It was found that crimped spiral fin shows the
excellent results for heat transfer compared to other
fins.
Fig 1.Crimped spiral fin[1]
Fig 2.Plain fin[1]