Numerical Investigation of Thermal Characteristics and Geometrical Optimization in circular tubes with micro fins

원형 단면관 내 미세 휜의 형상 변화에 따른 열.유동 특성 및 최적 형상 개발에 관한 수치 해석

A numerical investigation of single phase heat and flow characteristics in circular tubes with a single set of spiral micro fins was performed with varying geometrical parameters like fin height, spiral angle, and number of fins. The properties of $40^{\circ}C$ water was used as a working fluid to simulate a condenser and the RNG $k-{\epsilon}$ turbulence model was adopted. Calculation results were obtained in fully developed turbulent flow with constant surface heat flux boundary condition. Relative terms were introduced to investigate the substitution effect of conventional smooth tubes. The dimensionless terms were the heat transfer enhancement factor, the pressure drop penalty factor, and the efficiency index. Additionally, a numerical optimization was carried out to maximize thermal performance with the concept of the robust design. A statistical analysis showed that fin height interacts with number of fins and spiral angle.