Numerical study of turbulent flow and heat transfer in micro-fin tubes - Part 1, model validation

Single-phase heat transfer and friction losses were numerically predicted for micro fin tubes using the commercial CFD program, Fluent. Friction losses were predicted for five tube geometries, for which experimental data were available. The predicted friction factor was within +13% to -9% of the experimental values. The heat transfer simulation was done for only one tube geometry with helix angle of 17.5 degrees. The simulation was carried out for I < Pr < 4. The Nusselt number was over predicted, ranging from 29% to 55% as the Prandtl number was increased from I to 4.