EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF NOVEL IN-TUBE INSERTS FOR PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT IN SHELL AND TUBE TYPE HEAT EXCHANGERS AND THEIR ECONOMIC EVALUATION

Abstract

The current research focuses on experimentally exploring thermal enhancement and pressure drop in a tube equipped with detached hollow turbulators of different shapes. A novel aspect of this study is the examination of the impact of disk clearance from the inner wall, a factor that holds significant potential for enhancing thermal performance when optimized. The experiments were conducted within the turbulent airflow regime, covering Reynolds numbers ranging from 10,000 to 30,000. Two critical design variables, namely the outer diameter ratio (DR = do/D) and the pitch ratio (PR = P/D), were scrutinized to identify the optimal geometry. The inserts were spaced at pitch ratios of 1, 2, and 3. Various outer diameter ratios of 0.6, 0.7, and 0.8 were tested, with the tube's inner diameter fixed at 48 mm and outer diameter at 50.8 mm. The experimental results for the increase in Nusselt number and friction factor were observed and analyzed.