• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.978-986
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• 1999

In this study, the general thermal and flow characteristics of flat tube with micro-channels has been studied and the correlation of Nusselt number and friction factor is proposed. The optimal flat tube geometry is determined by optimal design process. It is assumed to be a three dimensional laminar flow in the analysis of thermal and flow characteristics. The periodic boundary condition is applied since the geometry of flat tube with micro-channels shows uniform cross-section in primary flow direction. Local Nusselt number is examined for thermal characteristics of each membrane, and module average Nusselt number and friction factor are calculated to determine the characteristics of the heat transfer and pressure drop in overall flat tube with microchannels. The correlations between Nusselt number and friction factor are given by Reynolds number, aspect ratio of membranes, and the width of flat tube. ALM (Augmented Lagrangian Multiplier) method is applied to the correlations to determine an optimal shape of flat tube. It is shown that the optimal aspect ratio of flat tube is approximately 1.0, irrespective of the width of flat tube and Reynolds number.