Thermal and hydraulic performance of finned-tube heat exchangers under different flow ranges: A review on modeling and experiment

Now-a-days fin-and-tube heat exchangers are employed in a wide variety of engineering applications such as modern heat exchangers, automotive radiators, automotive air conditioning evaporators and condensers. In order to improve the performance, further innovative designs, additional applications, and advanced geometries are expected. Researchers and academicians had been working on this topic for last few decades. A number of experimental and numerical studies have been conducted and various correlations were developed. The optimum design parameters with the maximum overall heat conductance and minimum pressure drop needs more focus and research. In this paper, different experimental/numerical studies performed are reviewed, grouped and summarized based on the types of heat exchangers, heat transfer and pressure drop performance, effects of geometrical parameters under different flow conditions. Overall, this paper will highlight on the existing technologies and emerging trends in designing of finned-tube heat exchangers considering different arrangements and geometric parameters under variable flow conditions which will be helpful for selecting appropriate design depending on the requirement. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.