Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Natural convection and radiation heat transfer of an externally-finned tube vertically placed in a chamber

  • Original
  • Published:
Heat and Mass Transfer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A three-dimensional numerical study was made to investigate effects of fin angle, fin surface emissivity, and tube wall temperature on heat transfer enhancement for a longitudinal externally-finned tube placed vertically in a small chamber. The numerical model was first validated through comparison with experimental measurements and the appropriateness of general boundary conditions was examined. The numerical results show that the mean Nusselt number increases with Rayleigh number for all the fin angles investigated. The maximum heat transfer rate per mass occurs when the fin angle is about 60° for fin surface emissivity between 0.7 and 0.8 and 55° when the surface emissivity increases to 0.9. With increasing tube wall temperature, both the natural convection and radiation heat transfer are enhanced, but the fraction of radiation heat transfer decreases in the temperature range studied. Radiation fraction increases with increasing fin surface emissivity. Both convection and radiation heat transfer modes are important.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

A :

Total surface area

C p :

Specific heat capacity (J kg−1 K−1)

D :

Outer diameter of base pipe (mm)

g :

Gravity acceleration vector

H :

Height of base tube (mm)

Nu :

Nusselt number

L :

Fin length (mm)

Q c :

Total convective heat rate (W)

P :

Pressure (Pa)

Ra :

Rayleigh number

S1 :

Thickness of base tube (mm)

S2 :

Fin thickness (mm)

T :

Temperature (K)

∆T :

Temperature difference (K)

V :

Velocity vector

h :

Heat transfer coefficient (W m−2 K−1)

α:

Thermal diffusivity (m2 s−1)

ε:

Surface emissivity

ρ:

Density (kg m−3)

υ:

Kinematic viscosity (m2 s−1)

β:

Thermal expansion coefficient (K−1)

λ:

Thermal conductivity (W m−2 K−1)

∞:

Infinity or at ambient environment

w :

Tube wall

References

  1. Yu B, Nie JH, Wang QW, Tao WQ (1999) Experimental study on the pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics of tubes with internal wave-like longitudinal fins. Heat Mass Transf 35:65–73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Yu B, Tao WQ (2004) Pressure drop and heat transfer of turbulent flow in annular tubes with internal wave-like longitudinal fins. Heat Mass Transf 40:643–651

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Wang QW, Lin M, Zeng M (2009) Effect of lateral fin profiles on turbulent flow and heat transfer performance of internally finned tubes. Appl Therm Eng 29(14/15):3006–3013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Wang QW, Lin M, Zeng M, Tian L (2008) Computational analysis of heat transfer and pressure drop performance for internally finned tube with three different longitudinal fins. Heat Mass Transf 45:147–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Zhang JW, Zhang Z (1999) A numerical study on fully developed fluid flow and heat transfer in a spiral finned tube. Chin J Chem Eng 7(1):56–66

    Google Scholar 

  6. Fabbri G (1998) Heat transfer optimization in internally finned tubes under laminar flow conditions. Int J Heat Mass Transf 41(10):1243–1253

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Krupiczka R, Rotegel A, Walczyk H, Dobner L (2003) An experimental study of convective heat transfer from extruded type helical finned tubes. Chem Eng Process 42(1):29–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Qiu XQ, Li HY, Chen YZ, Guo QX (2001) Experimental research on the heat transfer and flowing resistance of the longitudinal finned tube. China Pet Mach 29(3):8–10 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Wu JM, Tao WQ (2007) Numerical computation of laminar natural convection heat transfer around a horizontal compound tube with external longitudinal fins. Heat Transf Eng 28(2):93–102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Sun FZ, Zhang MY, Huang XY, Shi YT, Dong XG (2002) Experimental study of enhanced heat transfer with Ni-based impacted longitudinal finned tubes. J Hydrodyn 17(4):467–471 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Ouzzane M, Galanis N (2001) Numerical analysis of mixed convection in inclined tubes with external longitudinal fins. Sol Energy 71(3):199–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Kumar R (1997) Three-dimensional natural convective flow in a vertical annulus with longitudinal fins. Int J Heat Mass Transf 40(14):3323–3334

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  13. Braga CV, Saboya FEM (1999) Turbulent heat transfer, pressure drop and fin efficiency in annular regions with continuous longitudinal rectangular fins. Exp Therm Fluid Sci 20:55–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Wang CC, Chang JY, Chiou NF (1999) Effects of waffle height on the airside performance of wavy fin-and-tube heat exchangers. Heat Transf Eng 20(3):45–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Lozza G, Merlo U (2001) An experimental investigation of heat transfer and friction losses of interrupted and wavy fins for fin-and-tube heat exchangers. Int J Refrig 24:409–416

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Wang CC, Fu WL, Chang CT (1997) Heat transfer and friction characteristics of typical wavy fin-and-tube heat exchangers. Exp Therm Fluid Sci 14:174–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Kayansayan N (1993) Heat transfer characteristics of flat plain fins and round tube heat exchangers. Exp Therm Fluid Sci 6:263–272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Qu ZG, He YL, Tao WQ (2003) 3D numerical simulation on heat transfer performance of slit surfaces and analysis with field synergy principle. J Eng Thermophys 24(5):825–827

    Google Scholar 

  19. Ugur A, Kadir B (2006) Heat transfer and thermal performance analysis of a surface with hollow rectangular fins. Appl Therm Eng 26(2/3):209–216

    Google Scholar 

  20. Bayram S, Alparslan D (2008) Performance analysis of a heat exchanger having perforated square fins. Appl Therm Eng 28(5/6):621–632

    Google Scholar 

  21. Wang CC, Tao WH, Chang CJ (1999) An investigation of the airside performance of the slit fin-and-tube heat exchangers. Int J Refrig 22(8):595–603

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Yun JY, Lee KS (1999) Investigation of heat transfer characteristics on various kinds of fin-and-tube heat exchangers with interrupted surfaces. Int J Heat Mass Transf 42(13):2375–2385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Tanda G (2004) Heat transfer in rectangular channels with transverse and V-shaped broken ribs. Int J Heat Mass Transf 47(2):229–243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Gao X, Sundén B (2001) Heat transfer distribution in rectangular ducts with V-shaped ribs. Heat Mass Transf 37:315–320

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Wu JM, Tao WQ (2008) Numerical study on laminar convection heat transfer in a rectangular channel with longitudinal vortex generator. Part A: verification of field synergy principle. Int J Heat Mass Transf 51(5/6):1179–1191

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  26. Chung JD, Park BK, Lee JS (2003) The combined effects of angle of attack and louver angle of a winglet pair on heat transfer enhancement. J Enhanc Heat Transf 10(1):31–43

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  27. Chen Y, Fiebig M, Mitra NY (2000) Heat transfer enhancement of finned oval tubes with staggered punched longitudinal vortex generators. Int J Heat Mass Transf 43(3):417–435

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Support from the National Basic Research of China (973 program) (2007CB206900) are greatly appreciated. Authors are grateful for the support of the Chinese Scholarship Council to Dr. Y. Qiu, as a visiting scholar at Rutgers University from April 2011 to April 2012.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, 250061, Shandong, China

    Yan Qiu & Maocheng Tian

  2. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA

    Yan Qiu & Zhixiong Guo

Authors
  1. Yan Qiu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Maocheng Tian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhixiong Guo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yan Qiu or Zhixiong Guo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Qiu, Y., Tian, M. & Guo, Z. Natural convection and radiation heat transfer of an externally-finned tube vertically placed in a chamber. Heat Mass Transfer 49, 405–412 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-012-1077-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-012-1077-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation