1.
1
Chapter SM 1 Heat Exchangers for Heating Applications
surface.
Figure 1.4 Fin Efficiency as a Function of Fin Parameters
"Example 1.1 Determine the fin efficiency, overall surface efficiency, and thermal resistance per foot of
tube length for a cross-flow heat exchanger using finned tubes. The tube diameter is 0.774 inch. The
fins are steel with a thickness of 0.012 inch, a diameter of 1.463 inch, and a pitch of 9.05 fins per inch.
The conductivity of steel is 35 Btu/hr-ft-F. The heat transfer coefficient is 14. 4 Btu/hr-ft2-F."
"Problem specifications"
D_i = 0.774*convert(in,ft) ft Tube diameter
D_o = 1.463*convert(in,ft) ft Fin outer diameter
t = 0.012*convert(in,ft) ft Fin thickness
p = 9.05*convert(1/in,1/ft) 1/ft Fin pitch
k = 35 Btu/hr-ft-F Fin conductivity
h_o = 14.4 Btu/hr-ft2-F Heat transfer coeff.
"Determine the fin parameters: effective radius for a fin with convection from the tip (equation 1.21), the
equivalent mL of the circular fin (equation 1.18), and the radius ratio for the fin."
r_i = D_i/2 ft Tube radius
r_o = D_o/2 ft Fin radius
r_c = r_o + t/2 ft Equivalent radius
m_f = ((2*h_o)/(k*t))^0.5 1/ft Fin parameter
mfr = m_f*(r_c - r_i) Fin parameter
r_Ratio = r_c/r_i Radius ratio
"Determine the fin efficiency using equation 1.20."
A = (2*r_i)/(m_f*(r_c^2-r_i^2))
1.2
B = BesselK(1,m_f*r_i)*BesselI(1,m_f*r_c) - BesselI(1,m_f*r_i)*BesselK(1,m_f*r_c)
C = BesselI(0,m_f*r_i)*BesselK(1,m_f*r_c) + BesselK(0,m_f*r_i)*BesselI(1,m_f*r_c)
eta_fin = A*B/C Fin efficiency
"Determine the fin and total area per foot of length."
L = 1 ft Tube length
N_fin = p*L No. fins per foot
A_fin = N_fin*Pi*(r_c^2 - r_i^2) ft2 Fin area per foot
A_prime =Pi*2*r_i*( L-N_fin*t) ft2 Prime area per foot
A_total = A_fin + A_prime ft2 Total area per foot
"Determine the overall surface efficiency using equation 1.20 and the thermal resistance per foot of
length."
eta_o = 1- (A_fin/A_total)*(1- eta_fin) Overall efficiency
R = 1/(eta_o*h_o*A_total) hr-ft-F/Btu Resistance per foot
Results and Discussion
The equivalent radius for the fins is 0.06146 ft and the fin parameter mf is 28.7/ft. The non-
dimensional fin parameter m
f
(r
c
r
i
) is then 0.838. The fin efficiency could be determined from Figure
1.4, but equation 1.20 in terms of Bessel functions is used. The value of the fin efficiency is determined
to be 0.763.
For the given fin pitch there are 108.6 fins in a one-foot length. The fin, prime, and total areas per
foot are 0.9338 ft
2
, 0.1806 ft
2
, and 1.114 ft
2
, respectively. The overall fin efficiency given using equation
1.20 is 0.801. The thermal resistance per unit length is 0.0778 hr-F/Btu.
SM 1.3 Single Phase Heat Transfer Coefficients and Pressure Drop
The flow situation for heat exchangers is generally forced convection internal flow with the working
fluid usually either air, water, or refrigerant. Heat transfer coefficients for forced convection internal flow
in circular tubes are presented in Chapter 4, Section 4.3 and friction factor covered in Chapter 3, Section
3.8. The turbulent flow relations from these sections are included in this chapter to provide a more
complete coverage of heat exchanger analysis.
The Reynolds number is defined in terms of the fluid properties and hydraulic diameter as
H
f H
D
f
V D
Re
=
(1.23)
where
f
is the fluid density,
f
the fluid viscosity, V the fluid velocity, and D
H
the hydraulic diameter.
The hydraulic diameter is defined in terms of the cross-sectional area of the tube A
c
and the wetted
perimeter WP.
WP
A 4
D
c
H
= (1.24)
The hydraulic diameter is the actual diameter for a circular tube. For other tube geometries such as the
oval tubes or rectangular passages often found in heat exchangers, the hydraulic diameter allows the
circular tube relations to be used to estimate the heat transfer coefficient. It is often convenient to express
the Reynolds number in terms of the mass flow rate and the wetted perimeter as
H
D
f
4 m
Re
WP
=
(1.25)
1.3
The heat transfer coefficient is expressed in terms of the Nusselt number, defined as
H
c H
D
f
h D
Nu
k
= (1.26)
where h
c
is the convection coefficient and k
f
is the thermal conductivity of the fluid.
The friction factor f is a non-dimensional representation of the pressure drop for the flow. With the
friction factor the pressure drop over the flow length can be determined as
2
f
H
V L
p f
D 2
A = (1.27)
where L is the length in the flow direction and V is the fluid velocity. Equation 1.32 can also be
expressed in terms of the mass flow rate per tube. It is sometimes more convenient to use the mass flux,
which is the mass flow rate per unit area, defined as
c
A
m
G
= (1.28)
The pressure drop relation can then be expressed as
2
H
L G
p f
D 2
A =
(1.29)
This set of relations allows the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop for the single phase flow of a
fluid in the tubes of a heat exchanger to be determined.
Table 1.1 Heat transfer and friction factor relations for internal turbulent flow
(Reynolds number greater than 2500)
Smooth tubes
H H
0.8 n
D D
Nu 0.023 Re Pr =
n = 0.4 heating or n = 0.3 cooling
H
0.25
D
0.3164
f
Re
=
Or (larger
Re
D
range)
( )( )
( ) ( )
H
H
D
D
1/ 2
2/ 3
f / 2 Re 1000 Pr
Nu
1 12.7 f / 2 Pr 1
=
+
H
0.237
D
0.221
f 0.0032
Re
= +
Rough tubes
( ) ( )
( ) ( )
H
H
H
D
D
1/ 2
0.2 0.5
D
Re Pr f / 2
Nu
1 f / 2 4.5Re Pr 8.48
=
+
H
6
D
Re 10 <
0.5 H
0.5
H
D 9.3
f 1.14 2log 2log 1
Re f
D
| |
|
| |
|
= + +
|
|
c | | c \ .
|
|
|
\ . \ .
H
6
D
Re 10 >
0.5 H
D
f 1.14 2 log
| |
= +
|
c
\ .
SM 1.4 Extended Surface Heat Transfer Coefficients and Pressure Drop
Heat exchangers are often composed of finned tubes with a fluid, usually air, flows over the outside
of the tubes. The convection relations for the simple geometries of plates and circular tubes presented in
1.4
Chapter 4, Section 4.3 are for a single surface in an undisturbed flow and do not accurately represent the
heat transfer coefficients for a heat exchanger made of a number of finned tubes because there are flow
interactions between the flow over a fin and the other fins and the tubes. The second row of tubes, for
example, is in the wake region behind the first row, and the heat transfer coefficient is increased due to
turbulence. The relations for the heat transfer coefficients for the air-side of the type of heat exchanger
surface found in coils is presented in this section.
The heat transfer coefficients for the surfaces found in coils are usually determined experimentally
and presented either graphically or as equations in terms of governing dimensionless parameters. Figure
1.5, from Compact Heat Exchangers (Kays and London, 1964), gives heat transfer and friction factor data
as a function of Reynolds number for a number of finned tube configurations representative of heating
and cooling coils. Each figure presents data for tubes of the same diameter, fin length, and fin pitch, but
with different longitudinal (L) and transverse (S) pitches of the tubes. The tubes in Figure 1.5a have
smaller diameters than those in Figure 1.5b. A number of the important geometric parameters that
describe the surface are given below the graphs.
Figure 1.5 Friction Factor and Stanton Number for Finned Tube Geometries
a) Tube diameter of 0.774 in. b) Tube diameter of 1.024 in.
Many heating and cooling coils use heat exchanger surfaces that are similar to the circular
finned tubes of Figure 1.5. The tubes may be flattened or oval in shape or with fins that are in the
form of a continuous sheet extending between the tubes. The fins may be wavy, slotted, or
perforated in an attempt to increase the heat transfer. The heat transfer relations are usually
1.5
presented in a format similar to Figure 1.5 and with the same type information as provided at the
bottom of the figure.
A number of terms refer to the geometric properties of these surfaces. On the air-side of a coil, the
face or frontal area is the area normal to the flow and the face velocity is the velocity of the air
perpendicular to this area. The number of tube rows is in the direction of the airflow, with each row
containing a number of parallel tubes that are the same distance from the inlet. Fin pitch is the number of
fins per unit length along the tube.
These surfaces have a flow area and a flow velocity that characterizes the heat transfer. Usually, the
velocity is based on the average cross-sectional area in the coil, often called the free-flow area, rather than
the frontal area. This area is referenced to the frontal area by the ratio of the free-flow to frontal area, o,
defined as
fr
c
A
A
= (1.30)
where A
c
is the free flow area and A
fr
the frontal area. The value of o is given in Figure 1.5 for each of the
coil configurations. The characteristic velocity is a mass flux defined as the mass flow rate divided by the
free-flow area (equation 1.33). The heat transfer and friction data are correlated in terms of a Reynolds
number based on mass flux, hydraulic diameter, and fluid viscosity. The hydraulic diameter, which equals
four times the hydraulic radius, is tabulated on Figure 1.5. The Reynolds number is defined as
H
H
D
D G
N Re
R
= =
(1.31)
where N
R
is the notation used in Figure 1.5 for Reynolds number and G is the mass velocity.
The heat transfer coefficient is often represented by the Stanton number rather than the Nusselt number.
As seen in Figure 1.5, both Stanton number and friction factor have the same dependency on Reynolds
number. The Stanton number St is defined in terms of the heat transfer coefficient, mass flux, and fluid
specific heat as:
p
c
c G
h
St = (1.32)
where h
c
is the convection coefficient and c
p
is the specific heat. The Prandtl number raised to the two-
thirds power is incorporated to correlate the properties of different fluids.
The pressure drop through the heat exchanger is represented by the friction factor, which is defined in
terms of an equivalent shear stress that represents the fluid force on the heat exchanger surfaces. The
equivalent shear stress is a combination of viscous shear forces (skin friction) and pressure forces (form
drag). The friction factor f is defined as
2 / G
f
2
0
= (1.33)
where t
o
is the equivalent shear stress. The equivalent shear stress is related to the pressure drop
2
G
A
A
f p
2
c
= (1.34)
1.6
where A is the total heat transfer area of the exchanger on the air side and is the density. The ratio
c
A
A
is
the equivalent to
H
L
D
in equation 1.29. There are also entrance and exit pressure drops associated with the
flow through an exchanger, and these are not included in either the equivalent shear stress or the friction
factor.