Heat Transfer and Flow Friction correlations for Compact Wavy Plate Fin Heat Exchanger

Abstract

The most popularly used fins in Compact Heat Exchangers (CHEs) are the plain fins, offset strip fins, louvered fins and wavy fins. Thermo hydraulic performance of the above mentioned fins are strongly depends upon the geometric parameters and flow parameters. The wavy fin performance is generally evaluated based on the fin thickness, wavelength, curvature radius, amplitude, fin spacing and fin height. The objective of the present study is focused on investigation of the influence of above mentioned fin parameters and establishing a correlation in terms of dimensionless parameters such as Colburn factor (j), Fanning friction factor (f), geometrical parameters and flow parameters. A CFD approach has been used for numerical analysis of different fin configurations to determine the thermo-hydraulic parameters. The investigations include the study of flow pattern for laminar and turbulent regimes and validated with available data.