Experimental Study on the Heat Transfer Enhancement by the Combination of Transverse Groove Tube and Twisted Tape Inserts

Both transverse groove tube and twisted tape, as an alternative to traditional smooth tube in shell and tube heat exchanger, are useful techniques for the enhancement of heat transfer. In this paper, an experimental study for the combination of transverse groove tube and twisted tapes was carried out. The flow and heat transfer characteristics of heat transfer oil flowing in the transverse groove tube (TGT) fitted with continuous twisted tape (CT), discontinuous twisted tape (DT) and perforated twisted tape (PT) was investigated with the Reynolds numbers ranging from 600 to 8000, respectively. The effect of the geometrical parameters of twisted tapes on the heat transfer performance was considered. Finally, experimental correlations for friction factor and Nusselt number were developed. The comprehensive performance of heat transfer of the transverse groove tube fitted with twisted tapes was analyzed using traditional method and Entropy Generation Analysis, and the same conclusions can be obtained that the modified heat transfer enhancement tubes, TGT-CT, DT and PT, all show better effects of heat transfer enhancement than ST and ST-CT.