Thermohydraulics of Laminar Flow through a Circular Tube Having Integral Helical Corrugations and Fitted with Helical Screw-Tape Insert

The experimental friction factor and Nusselt number data for laminar flow through a circular duct having integral helical corrugations and fitted with a helical screw-tape insert are presented. Predictive friction factor and Nusselt number correlations are also presented. The thermohydraulic performance was evaluated. The major findings of this experimental investigation are that the helical screw-tape insert in combination with integral helical corrugations performs significantly better than the individual enhancement technique acting alone for laminar flow through a circular duct up to a certain value of the fin parameter. This research finding is useful in designing tubes carrying solar thermal mass of viscous oil in a parabolic trough solar collector used in environmentally sound and increasingly cost-effective solar thermal electric power plants. The result is also useful in designing heat exchangers used in process industries.