Numerical analysis of fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics in three-dimensional plate fin-and-tube heat exchangers

This numerical study provides three-dimensional (3-D) time-dependent modeling of unsteady laminar flow and heat transfer over single- and multirow plate fin-and-tube heat exchangers. The complex nature of the flow field featuring a horseshoe vortex is investigated for both configurations. The time-dependent evolution of the horseshoe vortex mechanism on the forward part of the tube and its journey to the rear of the tube are studied to provide fundamental information on the local flow structure and the corresponding heat transfer characteristics. The effects of various governing parameters, such as fin spacing, Reynolds number, tube row number, and tube arrangement, on the heat transfer and flow characteristics are also studied for the Reynolds number range investigated. It is found that the local flow structure including formation and evolution of vortex systems and singular point interactions correlates strongly with the heat transfer characteristics. The numerical results for the integral heat transfer parameters agree well with available experimental measurements.