Search Results (27)

The present study is focused on identifying the most suitable sequence of machine learning-based models and the most promising set of input variables aiming at the estimation of heat transfer in evaporating R134a flows in microfin tubes. Utilizing the available experimental data, dimensionless features representing the evaporation phenomena are first generated and are provided to a machine learning-based model. Feature selection and algorithm optimization procedures are then performed. It is shown that the implemented feature selection method determines only six dimensionless parameters ($S{u}_l$: liquid Suratman number, $Bo$: boiling number, $F{r}_g$: gas Froude number, $R{e}_l$: liquid Reynolds number, $Bd$: Bond number, and $e/D$: fin height to tube’s inner diameter ratio) as the most effective input features, which reduces the model’s complexity and facilitates the interpretation of governing physical phenomena. Furthermore, the proposed optimized sequence of machine learning algorithms (providing a mean absolute relative difference (MARD) of 8.84% on the test set) outperforms the most accurate available empirical model (with an MARD of 19.7% on the test set) by a large margin, demonstrating the efficacy of the proposed methodology. Full article

To enhance the heat-transfer performance of scramjet engines, a numerical simulation was conducted on the heat-transfer process of RP-3 aviation kerosene under supercritical pressure within a horizontal micro-fine circular tube. The intrinsic mechanism of the heat-transfer process was analyzed, summarizing the impacts of mass flux, inlet temperature, and gravitational acceleration. Furthermore, four commonly used buoyancy criterion numbers were compared and evaluated. The results indicate that the heat-transfer process can be divided into five phases: heating inlet phase, normal heat-transfer phase, heat-transfer deterioration phase, heat-transfer enhancement phase, and high-temperature normal heat-transfer phase. The heating inlet phase is significantly influenced by the inlet temperature, while the heat-transfer deterioration is affected both by the thermal property variations of the aviation kerosene and the buoyancy effects. Lower mass flux and hypergravity conditions all exacerbate heat-transfer deterioration. Inlet temperature, however, does not affect the heat-transfer pattern. Among the criteria, Gr_q/Gr_th provides the best prediction of buoyancy effects in horizontal circular tubes. Full article

The article presents the results of numerical studies of heat transfer and pressure drops in a channel with transverse micro-fins. The main aim of the study was to prepare the thermal and flow characteristics of such a channel for a variable longitudinal spacing of micro-fins. For the tested pipe with an internal diameter of D = 12 mm, the absolute height of the micro-fins was e = 0.243 mm, which is 2% of its diameter. The tests were carried out for turbulent flow in the range of Reynolds numbers of 5000–250,000 with the variable spacing of micro-ribs in the range of L = 0.28–13.52 mm, which corresponds to their dimensionless longitudinal distance, L/D = 0.023–1.126. For the studied geometries, the characteristics of the friction factor, ft(Re), and the Nusselt number, Nu(Re), are shown in the graphs. The highest values of Nu were observed for a spacing of L/D = 0.092 in the range of Re = 5000–60,000, while the lowest were observed for a geometry of L/D = 0.035 for Re = 60,000–250,000. The friction factors, however, were the highest for the two geometries L/D = 0.161 and L/D = 0.229 over the entire range of the tested Re numbers. A large discrepancy was observed between the friction factors calculated from the Colebrook–White equation (for irregular relative roughness depicted in the Moody diagram) and those obtained from simulations (for pipes with the same roughness height but regular geometry created by micro-fins). An analysis of the heat transfer efficiency of the tested geometries was also presented, taking into account the criterion of equal pumping power, i.e., the PEC (performance evaluation criteria) coefficient. The highest values of the PEC coefficient, up to 1.25–1.28, were obtained for micro-fin spacings of L/D = 0.069 and L/D = 0.092 in the Re number range of 20.000–30.000. Full article

In response to stringent rules inhibiting the implementation of refrigerants with high global warming impact, alternative candidates should undergo assessments to prove their viability. The mixtures R450A and R454B, being the center of the current focus, underwent experimentation for flow condensation inside a mini-scale micro-finned tube of 5 mm outer diameter. The operating conditions were set to be in the range of 0.1 to 0.95 for vapor quality, 75 to 400 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ for mass flux, and recorded at saturation temperatures of 30 and 40 °C. Having concluded the evaluations of thermal and hydraulic properties of heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and frictional pressure drop (FPD), a comparison was drawn between the two candidates, where R450A possessed superior HTC and higher FPD per unit length at higher vapor qualities due to lower vapor density. Ultimately, empirical models pertinent to flow condensation were compared with the acquired experimental results. Full article

The use of innovative methods for the design of heating, cooling, and heat storage devices has been mainly oriented in the last decade toward the use of nanofluids, metal foams coupled with working fluids, or phase change materials (PCMs). A network of nine Italian universities achieved significant results and innovative ideas on these topics by developing a collaborative project in the last four years, where different approaches and investigation techniques were synergically employed. They evaluated the quantitative extent of the enhancement in the heat transfer and thermal performance of a heat exchanger or thermal energy storage system with the combined use of nanofluids, metal foams, and PCMs. The different facets of this broad research program are surveyed in this article. Special focus is given to the comparison between the mesoscopic to macroscopic modeling of heat transfer in metal foams and nanofluids, as well as to the experimental data collected and processed in the development of the research. Full article

An experimental study was performed that compared tube side condensation heat transfer characteristics of enhanced tubes (hydrophobic surface tubes (HYD), herringbone micro fin tube (HB), and a composite hydrophobic/herringbone (micro fin) tube (HYD/HB)) to the performance of a smooth tube (ST). The condensation heat transfer coefficient (HTC) was calculated from data that were recorded for smooth and enhanced tubes that had an outer diameter (OD) of 12.7 mm. Data were collected (as a function of mass flow rate) using a couple of refrigerants (R410A and R32), for saturated temperatures of 35 °C and 45 °C, with vapor qualities that ranged from 0.8 to 0.2. Several previously reported smooth tube HTC models were used to calculate values that could be compared to experimentally obtained HTC values. The correlation model that demonstrated the best accuracy (for the conditions considered) was then modified for use with the enhanced tubes from this study. Results from the modified correlation show differences with experimental values that ranged from −10% to +17%; the new modified correlation demonstrates high prediction accuracy. An accurate correlation allows the evaluation of enhanced heat transfer tubes for use in high-efficiency heat exchanger systems. The development of this new model is significant in the study of enhanced heat transfer. Full article

Microfin tubes are widely used to enhance heat transfer in heat exchangers in order to reduce volumes, costs and refrigerant charge. Much experimental work has been published for the flow of liquids, while some experimental work is available for the flow of gases for the chemical, refrigeration and air conditioning industry. This work reviews the literature and presents new experimental friction factors for the flow of the superheated vapor of R1234ze(E) in a 5 mm outside diameter microfin tube. The authors have also collected an extensive data bank of heat transfer coefficients (around 648 points from different research laboratories) and friction factors (around 536 points), covering 45 different geometries of inner finned tubes. After comparing the predictions from available correlations with experimental data, the present paper suggests the best performing equations for the calculation of the friction factor and of the Nusselt number during forced convection flow of liquids and gases. The suggested model for friction factor estimates the experimental values with a relative and absolute deviation of −0.3% and 7.9%, respectively, whereas the suggested model for the heat transfer coefficient predicts the experimental data bank with a relative and absolute deviation of −3.3% and 13.9%, respectively. The validity range of the two correlations is extremely wide, covering microfin tubes with diameters from 2.6 mm to 24.4 mm, and Reynolds number from about approximately 1000 to 300,000 for the friction factor, and from 3000 to 1,000,000 for the heat transfer coefficient. Full article

This review study examines flow boiling heat transfer in micro-fin tubes using mixed and pure refrigerants with zero ozone-depleting potential (ODP) and minimal global warming potential (GWP). This investigation focuses on the extraordinary relationship between heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) and vapor quality. Since the introduction of micro-fin heat exchanger tubes over 30 years ago, refrigerant-based cooling has improved significantly. Air conditioning and refrigeration companies are replacing widely used refrigerants, with substantial global warming impacts. When space, weight, or efficiency are limited, micro-fin heat exchangers with improved dependability are preferred. This review article discusses flow boiling concepts. The researchers used several refrigerants under different testing conditions and with varying micro-fin tube parameters. Micro-fin tubes are promising for improved heat transfer techniques. This tube increases the heat transfer area, fluid disturbance, flow speed, and direction owing to centrifugal force and HTC. As the focus shifts to improving heat transfer, pressure drop, mean vapor quality, and practical devices, this subject will grow more intriguing. A radical shift will reduce equipment size for certain traditional heat transfer systems and bring new products using micro-scale technologies. This suggested review effort helps comprehend saturation flow boiling through micro-fin tubes and find the right correlation for a given application. This domain’s challenges and future relevance are also discussed. Full article

This review presents the nucleate/convective boiling performance for a variety of important low global warming potential (LGWP) alternatives to commonly used high-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants (such as R-134a, R404A, and R-410A, etc.). Efforts are stressed on the assessment of their evaporation pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient (HTC) characteristics. These alternatives include R-1234ze(Z), R-1234ze(E), R-1233zd (E), R-1234ze(E), R-410A, R-1234yf, and R-513A. The authors investigated the thermo-fluid properties within and outside a tube, mini-channel, micro-fin tube, and plate heat exchanger. The investigation of the numerical, experimental, and simulated results revealed that the evaporation pressure drop and HTC characteristics were dependent on a variety of variables. These factors include the working fluid’s thermodynamics and transport properties, the refrigerant’s mass flux, heat flux, saturation temperature, the vapor quality, the conditions and flow patterns, the orientation of the heating surface, and the geometry (shape, size, and surface area smooth/enhanced) of the heating surface. An expanded LGWP refrigerants, surfaces, and conditions database is needed. Mechanistic models may assist. These models can optimize boiling, anticipate heat transfer, and develop high-performance geometries. Full article

A comparative analysis of the flow boiling characteristics of R450A, R515B, and R1234ze(E) inside a 7.0 mm OD microfin tube was performed. The mass velocity was explored from low values, starting from 50 kg m⁻² s⁻¹, up to 400 kg m⁻² s⁻¹, and the heat flux was tested in the range of 10–50 kW m⁻², keeping a constant saturation temperature of 30 °C at the inlet of the test section. R515B and R1234ze(E) showed similar values of the heat transfer coefficient and frictional pressure gradient under all the investigated working conditions. R450A showed lower values of the heat transfer coefficient, especially at low heat flux and high mass velocity, compared to R515B and R1234ze(E), but the gap of the heat transfer performance between the three fluids reduced at high heat flux. The frictional pressure drops of R450A were generally lower than those of R515B and R1234ze(E). In the end, some correlations for the evaluation of both the heat transfer coefficient and the pressure drop were selected, and the estimated values were compared against the experimental counterpart. Furthermore, the effects of nucleate boiling and of convective boiling, as well as of the temperature glide for R450A, were analyzed and estimated. Full article

In this review, the condensation HTCs (heat transfer coefficients) and pressure drop characteristics of some major low-global-warming-potential (GWP) refrigerants alternative to R-134a such as R-1234ze(E), R-1234ze(Z), R-1234yf, R-513A, and R-450A are reviewed. The thermofluids’ characteristics inside/outside a tube, minichannel, microfin tube, and plate heat exchanger are examined. In addition, several other refrigerants attributed to low GWP are also included in the present review. The experimental/numerical/simulation results’ analysis reveals that condensation HTCs and pressure drop characteristics depend on several parameters such as thermodynamics and transport properties of the working fluid, mass flux of the refrigerants, heat flux, saturation temperature, vapor quality, flow patterns, flow conditions, orientation of the condensing geometry, and condensation geometry (shape, size, and smooth/enhanced). Full article

In this study, a new method of ultrasonic high-frequency percussion (UH-FP) is proposed. Ultra-fine and ultra-long copper tube electrodes cannot be fabricated by traditional processing methods, and the copper tube electrodes fabricated by UH-FP can be used in the process of rotary EDM for microfine holes. The UH-FP setup has been established based on an ultrasonic device, a workpiece chucking and rotation device, and a workpiece reciprocating motion device. In this work, by studying the principle of ultrasonic processing, the processing principle and mechanism of ultra-fine and ultra-long copper tube electrode preparation by ultrasonic high-frequency percussion is proposed. The effects of processing parameters (i.e., rotational speed, feed rate, working gap, percussion amplitude) on surface roughness are evaluated quantitatively. Experimental results show that the proposed method could complete the core leach of the core-containing copper tube electrodes after drawing, while improving surface quality. Some surface defects such as cracks, scratches and folds were completed removed, further improving the mechanical performance of processed parts. The surface roughness (Ra) of 0.091 μm was obtained from the initial 0.46 μm under the optimal processing parameters of 800 rpm tube rotational speed, 200 mm/min platform feed speed, 0.13 mm machining gap, 0.15 mm percussion amplitude, and 32 min machining time. The method shows potential for manufacturing copper tube electrodes for a wide range of industrial applications. Full article

As an auxiliary component with the largest energy consumption in the fuel cell power system, the electric air compressor is of great significance to improve the overall efficiency of the system by reducing its power consumption under the premise of meeting the cathode intake demand. In this paper, the flow state of the gas in the flow field of the fuel cell TSEAC (two-stage electric air compressor) is analyzed by simulation, and the accuracy of the simulation results is verified by experiments. Through the research on the gas compression work of the fuel cell TSEAC, it is found that the higher temperature rise of the gas during the compression process will increase the compression work, thereby reducing the efficiency of the fuel cell TSEAC. Therefore, based on the field synergy theory, this paper designs the heat dissipation structure of the TSEAC elbow. In the common working conditions of fuel cell TSEAC, micro-fin tube is an effective energy-saving structure that takes into account heat dissipation enhancement and flow resistance, and its ratio of micro-fin height to laminar bottom layer thickness ε/δ = 1.6 has the best energy-saving effect. Finally, the energy-saving effect of the micro-fin tube is verified by simulation. The load torque of the optimized fuel cell TSEAC is reduced from 1.540 N·m to 1.509 N·m, and the shaft power is reduced from 14.51 kW to 14.22 kW. Its efficiency increased by 1.9%. Full article

Enhancing the heat transfer performance of heat exchangers is one of the main methods to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems. Wettability modified surfaces developed gradually may help. This study aims to improve the performance of heat exchangers from the perspective of component materials. The facile and cost-effective fabrication method of superhydrophobic Al-based finned-tube heat exchangers with acid etching and stearic acid self-assembly was proposed and optimized in this study, so that the modified Al fins could achieve stronger wettability and durability. The effect of process parameters on the wettability of the Al fins was by response surface methodology (RSM) and variance analysis. Then, the modified fins were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), 3D topography profiler, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The durability of the superhydrophobic fins was investigated by air exposure, corrosion resistance, and mechanical robustness experiments. The RSM and variance analysis demonstrated that a water contact angle (WCA) of 166.9° can be obtained with the etching time in 2 mol/L HCl solution of 10.5 min, the self-assembly time in the stearic acid ethanol solution of 48 h, and drying under 73.0 °C. The surface morphology showed suitable micro-nano structures with a mean roughness (Ra) of 467.58 nm and a maximum peak-to-valley vertical distance (Rt) of 4.095 μm. The chemical component demonstrated the self-assembly of an alkyl chain. The WCAs declined slightly in durability experiments, which showed the feasibility of the superhydrophobic heat exchangers under actual conditions. Full article

Condensation heat transfer characteristics (using R410A as the working fluid) were studied experimentally to evaluate the heat transfer performance in copper and stainless-steel heat transfer tubes (smooth and enhanced). Experiments were carried out for a mass flux that varied from 250 to 450 kg m⁻² s⁻¹, at a saturation temperature of 318 K. Single-phase heat balance verification found that the heat loss is less than 6%, and the deviation between single-phase experimental results and various prediction correlations is less than 15%. Additionally, tube side condensation flow patterns were observed and recorded. Experimental results found that the enhancement ratio of the condensation heat transfer coefficient (enhanced tube/smooth tube) of the three-dimensional surface (1EHT) tube is in the range of 1.15~1.90, while the ratio of the micro-fin (HX) tube is in the range of 1.18~1.80. Heat transfer performance is affected by material conductivity, with the thermal conductivity of the smooth tube slightly affecting the heat transfer performance; larger heat transfer enhancements are produced in the enhanced tubes. At a low mass flow rates and vapor qualities, the flow pattern is a stratified wavy flow, while at higher mass flow rates and vapor qualities, the flow pattern is an annular flow (with the area in the enhanced tube being larger than the area of a smooth tube). Flow patterns in the smooth tube are consistent with the predicted values shown in previously reported flow pattern maps. A flow pattern diagram for condensation heat transfer in enhanced tubes is presented as part of this study. The condensation heat transfer coefficient increases with an increase in mass flow. When the mass flow rate increases, the turbulence of the liquid flow increases and the liquid film becomes thinner; thermal resistance is reduced and the heat transfer coefficient increases. Heat transfer values at lower mass velocities increase slightly with increasing mass flux values; however, at higher mass flux rates the heat transfer increase is larger than that at low mass flux values. Finally, tubes produced from high thermal conductivity materials produce larger heat transfer performance gains than the gains found in smooth tubes; small diameter tubes produce larger gains than larger diameter tubes. Full article