Open cell metal foam offers an interesting combination of materials properties from a heat exchanger point of view such as a high specific surface area, tortuous flow paths for flow mixing and low weight. A heat exchanger design with metal foams is studied in this work, aimed at low airside pressure drop. It consists of a single row of Al tubes covered with thin layers (4–8 mm) of metal foam. Through wind tunnel testing the impact of various parameters on the thermo-hydraulic performance was considered, including the Reynolds number, the tube spacing, the foam height and the type of foam. The results indicated that if a good metallic bonding between the foam and the tubes can be achieved, metal foam covered tubes with a small tube spacing, small foam heights and made of foam with a high specific surface area potentially offer strong benefits at higher air velocities (> 4 m/s) compared to helically finned tubes. The bonding was done by conductive epoxy glue and was found to have a strong impact on the final results, showing a strong need for a cost-effective and efficient brazing process to connect metal foams to the tube surfaces.
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2010 14th International Heat Transfer Conference
August 8–13, 2010
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Heat Transfer Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4939-2
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Thermo-Hydraulic Performance of a Heat Exchanger Consisting of Metal Foam Covered Tubes
Christophe T’Joen,
Christophe T’Joen
Ghent University - UGent, Gent, Belgium
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Peter De Jaeger,
Peter De Jaeger
NV Bekaert SA, Zwevegem, Belgium
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Henk Huisseune,
Henk Huisseune
Ghent University - UGent, Gent, Belgium
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Michel De Paepe
Michel De Paepe
Ghent University - UGent, Gent, Belgium
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Christophe T’Joen
Ghent University - UGent, Gent, Belgium
Peter De Jaeger
NV Bekaert SA, Zwevegem, Belgium
Henk Huisseune
Ghent University - UGent, Gent, Belgium
Michel De Paepe
Ghent University - UGent, Gent, Belgium
Paper No:
IHTC14-22382, pp. 361-370; 10 pages
Published Online:
March 1, 2011
Citation
T’Joen, C, De Jaeger, P, Huisseune, H, & De Paepe, M. "Thermo-Hydraulic Performance of a Heat Exchanger Consisting of Metal Foam Covered Tubes." Proceedings of the 2010 14th International Heat Transfer Conference. 2010 14th International Heat Transfer Conference, Volume 4. Washington, DC, USA. August 8–13, 2010. pp. 361-370. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/IHTC14-22382
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