Study on the effect of punched holes on flow structure and heat transfer of the plain fin with multi-row delta winglets

Three dimensional numerical simulations are performed to investigate the flow and heat transfer characteristics of the plain fin with multi-row delta winglets punched out from the fin. The Reynolds number based on the tube outside diameter varies from 360 to 1440. The effects of punched holes and their orientations on flow structure and heat transfer are numerically studied. Results show that a down-wash flow is formed through the hole punched at the windward side, which has little influence on the longitudinal vortices in the main flow, and a longitudinal main vortex is formed behind each delta winglet. An up-wash flow is formed through the hole punched at the leeward side, the up-wash flow impinges the longitudinal vortices generated by the delta winglet, and then a counter-rotating pair of main vortices is generated behind each delta winglet. The windward punched holes have little effect on the flow friction and heat transfer of the plain fin with delta winglets, while the leeward punched holes deteriorate the heat transfer and decrease the flow friction of the fin channel, the Nusselt number decreases by 3.5-5.0 % with a corresponding decrease of 3.9-4.8 % in the friction factor. The effect of the punched holes on the heat transfer of the fin can be well explained by the field synergy principle. The overall analysis of the thermal performance is performed for all fin configurations, including the slit fins and the wavy fins with one-row delta winglets, the plain fin with the windward punched delta winglets shows the better thermal performance than one with the leeward punched delta winglets.