Forced Convective Heat Transfer in a 2D Staggered Tube Bundle — Simulation Example

Overview

Heat exchangers are devices used to transmit heat to/from a system. Most heat exchangers are made up of closely packed bundles of tubes through which a fluid flows; this fluid needs to have heat added to or removed from it. A second fluid at a higher/lower temperature is forced to flow over the tube bundle to transfer heat using forced convection. In addition to the arrangement of tubes in the bundle, the number of tube rows also plays a major role in determining the total heat transfer rate of the tube bundle.

Objectives

In this example, you will learn how to set up and simulate air flow over a 2D staggered tube bundle using Ansys Fluent. You will investigate two configurations, 4 rowed and 6 rowed, and compare the heat transfer rates for both configurations.

Setup

Download the Mesh file required for setting up the simulation and associated Case & Data files here. Follow the instructions below to set up this simulation in Ansys Fluent starting with the Mesh file. In case you face any issues setting up or running the simulation, refer to the corresponding initial and final Case and Data files.

Alternate video link.

Results and Discussion

Let’s now look at the results to understand the forced convective heat transfer characteristics of a 2D staggered tube bundle.