Energy Conversion and Management 80 (2014) 287297

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Energy Conversion and Management

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/enconman

Performance investigation of an innovative offset strip n arrays

in compact heat exchangers
Hao Peng, Xiang Ling , Juan Li
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Process Enhancement and New Energy Equipment Technology, School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Technology, No. 30
Pu Zhu South Road, Nanjing 211816, PR China

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Experimental and numerical studies on the ow and heat transfer characteristics for an innovative offset
Received 3 December 2013 strip ns compact heat exchangers were performed. First, ve n schemes were investigated with various
Accepted 24 January 2014 air ow velocities and a constant inlet steam pressure by experiments. The Reynolds number ranged from
Available online 17 February 2014
500 to 5000 at the air side. The experimental results indicated that the n pitch (Pf), n length (Lf) and n
bending distance (Cf) have a signicant inuence on thermal performance of ns. The Colburn factor j,
Keywords: friction factor f and point of transition were calculated from the experimental data. Then, the ther-
Compact heat exchanger
malhydraulic performances of the novel offset strip ns were analyzed numerically. The simulation
Offset strip n
Thermal entrance effect
results obtained are in agreement with experimental data. Based on these simulations, the maximum val-
Colburn factor ues for local Nu number are at the channel inlet which is due to the thermal entrance effect. The longi-
Friction factor tudinal vortexes near the n region will increase velocity gradient and reduce the thickness of boundary
layer to improve heat transfer. The main conclusion draws from this work will be helpful for future devel-
opment and design of a high-efciency heat exchangers involving offset strip n structures.
2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction correlations for their thermalhydraulic performance. Mochizuki

Offset-strip ns are widely used for compact heat exchangers to
enhance heat transfer rate by enlarging surface area and regenerat-
ing thermal boundary layer in each ow channel. There are several
books and numerous experimental and numerical investigations
outlining thermalhydraulic performance characteristics. Ismail
et al. [1] carried out a review of thermalhydraulic performances
of compact offset strip plate-n heat exchangers, which reect
the signicant progress made in the eld during the last two
decades.
Norris and Spofford [2] were the rst to determine the effects
that n thickness, n length, and n pitch on the heat transfer coef-
cient in offset strip ns. The comprehensive Colburn factor j and
friction factor f correlations for the offset strip ns were obtained
by Kays and London [3]. Briggs and London [4] determined the ef-
fects that n pitch had on the thermal performance of offset rect-
angular-n surfaces. Manson [5] conducted experiments with n
geometries in addition to Kays and Londons experiment. Wieting
[6] tested 23 samples of offset strip ns and obtained empirical
Corresponding author. Address: No. 30 Pu Zhu South Road, Nanjing 211816,
Jiangsu Province, PR China. Tel.: +86 25 83587570; fax: +86 25 83600956.
E-mail addresses: phsight1@hotmail.com (H. Peng), xling@njut.edu.cn (X. Ling),
juanlee1130@163.com (J. Li).
and Yagi [7] made more accurate coefcients and exponents by
modifying those of Wieting [6]. Joshi and Webb [8] attempted to
identify the transition from laminar ow, and developed elaborate
analytical models to predict j and f factors. Sparrow and Hajiloo [9]
performed experiments to investigate the effect of n thickness on
the Nusselt number and friction factor in offset strip plates. The ef-
fect of n space, n height, n thickness, n length and ow length
on the heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics in 16 offset
strip ns was studied by Dong et al. [10]. The aforementioned
researchers used air as working uid. Some studies have consid-
ered uids other than air. For instance, Tinaut et al. [11] put
forward the correlations for heat transfer and ow friction charac-
teristics of offset strip n heat exchangers using water and oil as
the working uids. Hu and Herold [12] investigated the effect of
Prandtl number on offset strip n heat exchanger performance that
used water and polyalphaolen. Muzychka and Yovanovich [13]
modeled j and f factors for transverse ow through offset strip ns
using oil as working uid. Peng and Ling [14,15] performed a series
of experimental studies of ow over offset strip ns at low Rey-
nolds number. Zeng et al. [16] analyzed the pressure drop and heat
transfer performances of a high-efciency plate-n structure. Seara
et al. [17] did the experimental analysis of a titanium brazed plate
heat exchanger with offset strip ns in liquidliquid heat transfer
processes.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2014.01.050
0196-8904/ 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
288 H. Peng et al. / Energy Conversion and Management 80 (2014) 287297

Nomenclature

Ac cross section (m2) u air ow velocity (m/s)

Cf n bending distance (m) Dt temperature difference (K)
De hydraulic diameter (m)
G mass ux (kg/m2 s) Greek symbols
H height of the numerical model (m) e dissipation rate of turbulence energy (m3 s2)
Hf n height (m) k thermal conductivity (W/m K)
L effective length (m) m kinematic viscosity (m2/s)
Lf n length (m) l dynamic viscosity (kg/(m s))
Nu Nusselt number lt turbulent dynamic viscosity (kg/(m s))
Pr Prandtl number c latent heat (kJ/kg)
Pf n pitch (m) q density (kg/m3)
DP pressure drop (Pa) rk turbulent Prandtl numbers for diffusion of k
Q heat transfer rate (W) re turbulent Prandtl numbers for diffusion of e
R relative uncertainty U interface between the wall and uid
Re Reynolds number
St Stanton number Subscripts
ST source term for energy equation L local
T temperature (K)
as air side
X independent variables ss steam side
cp specic heat (J/kg K) l liquid
f friction factor in inlet
j Colburn factor
out outlet
k turbulent kinetic energy (m2/s2) m mean value
m mass ow rate (kg/s) w wall
p pressure (Pa) s soild
q heat ux (W/m2)
su surface
tf n thickness (m)
u velocity vector

Numerical studies have also been used to present in offset strip
n heat exchangers. Patankar et al. [18], Amano [19] and Suzuki
[20] presented 2D numerical models to predict thermalhydraulic
characteristics for offset strip ns, and the effects of n thickness,
n height, n length and n pitch were analyzed. Xi et al. [21] and
Shah et al. [22] performed an investigation with an array of offset
strip ns and reported the effects of n length and n thickness on
the friction factor and Colburn factor. Sparrow et al. [23] did
numerical analysis on a 3D offset strip-n heat exchanger. Carluc-
cio and Starace [24] and Ismail et al. [25] developed a numerical
model of offset strip ns to predict the thermo-uiddynamic per-
formance in cross ow compact heat exchangers. Losier et al. [26]
determined the 3D effects of rounded n edges and geometric
parameters on an offset strip-n heat exchangers overall perfor-
mance. Kim et al. [27] established a numerical model of offset-strip
ns for various n geometries and working uids. The ow and
thermal characteristics of offset-strip ns were investigated and
general correlations of the offset-strip ns were derived. The most
recent study, done by Saad et al. [28,29], presented a CFD model to
investigate the phases and pressure drop distribution in offset strip
n units.
This paper investigates the heat transfer Colburn factor j and
the friction factor f characteristics of an innovative offset strip ns
in compact heat exchangers (CHEs). Firstly, the effects of n pitch,
n length and n bending distance on thermalhydraulic perfor-
mance of novel offset strip ns are presented with the Reynolds
number ranging from 500 to 5000 at the air side. Then, the ow
and heat transfer characteristics in novel offset strip ns were ana-
lyzed numerically. The simulation results of j and f factors were
compared with the corresponding experimental data. Also the local
Nusselt number, temperature distribution and velocity vectors
were presented and discussed.
2. Experimental apparatus and method
2.1. Experimental apparatus
The experimental apparatus, schematically depicted in Fig. 1,
comprises a CHE, an open air channel, a closed steam-water cycle
and data acquisition system.
The CHE set up in a cross-ow (Fig. 2) and made of aluminum
which has high thermal conductivity and is low cost, and easily
processed. Of the many n geometries described earlier, a novel
offset strip ns (Fig. 3) are considered in the present study. This
new n has a physical geometry dened by n height (Hf), n
thickness (tf), n pitch (Pf), n length (Lf) and the n bending dis-
tance (Cf). The n bending distance is a major new feature compare
with the traditional offset strip ns.
In the present work, the n height (Hf) and the n thickness (tf)
are 9.5 mm and 0.2 mm, respectively. The n pitch (Pf), the n
length (Lf) and the n bending distance (Cf) are varied as experi-
mental parameters. This study involves 5 CHEs with two n
pitches, three n lengths and two n bending distances, illustrated
in Table 1.
An open air channel has a centrifugal fan, a test unit CHE, a web-
by section and a velocity measurement section. The cross section of
the test unit is 300 mm  200 mm (height  width). The centrifu-
gal fan is driven by a frequency controlled engine, sucks the re-
quired cooling air through the test unit, which allows for an air
ow rate of 10120 m3/min.
The closed water-steam cycle has a boiler and the saturated
steam is generated and moves to the test unit CHE, where it con-
denses by the cold air. Then, the condensed water is returned to
the boiler, thus completing a closed cycle.
 H. Peng et al. / Energy Conversion and Management 80 (2014) 287297 289

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of experimental apparatus.

Fig. 2. Cross ow CHE.

Fig. 3. Diagram of innovative offset strip n.

For data acquisition system, the air outlet and the steam inlet
Table 1
temperatures are measured by 17 pieces of type E thermocouples, Geometrical parameters of CHEs.
while the air inlet temperature is measured by Pt100 temperature
meter. These thermocouples are pre-calibrated and have an accu- No Hf (mm) tf (mm) Pf (mm) Lf (mm) Cf (mm)

racy of 0.1 K. The Pitot tube combined with a differential pressure 1 9.5 0.2 1.0 9.0 0.2
transducer is inserted to measure the air velocity, which has the 2 1.0 9.0 0.15
3 1.0 6.0 0.15
uncertainty of 1%. The condensed water ow rate and the pressure 4 1.0 3.0 0.15
drop at the air side are read by two differential pressure transduc- 5 1.5 9.0 0.15
ers, whose accuracy is 0.5%. The operating differential pressure
range is 020 kPa and 010 kPa, respectively. The measured data "   #1=2
DR Xn
DX i 2
are obtained using a National Instrument cDAQ-9178 series data 1
acquisition system for further analysis. R i1
Xi
The relative uncertainty analysis is studied using the estimation
method. Given a variable R, which is a function of n independent where DXi are the absolute uncertainties of Xi. By using the above
variables Xi = {x1, x2, . . . , xn}. The relative uncertainty of R can be method, the relative errors for the Colburn factor j and friction
determined: factor f are 2.95% and 3.32% respectively.
290 H. Peng et al. / Energy Conversion and Management 80 (2014) 287297

2.2. Experimental procedure 3.2. Governing equations

In order to nd out the effects of air Reynolds number (Re), the
n pitch (Pf), the n length (Lf) and the n bending distance (Cf) on
the thermalhydraulic performance of the CHEs, a series of tests
were carried out for the following conditions:
 Range of Reynolds number: 500 < Re < 5000.
 Air inlet temperature: ambient temperature.
 Steam inlet pressure: 0.12 MPa.
The ve CHEs used in the experiments are presented in Table 1.
At the air side, the measurements of air ow rates and the tem-
peratures at the inlet and outlet of the test unit give the total heat
ux:
Q as mas cpas Dt as
At the steam side, the heat ux is calculated from the following
relation:
The assumptions made in the numerical simulation are as fol-
lows [3032]: (a) the ow is stable and incompressible in the com-
putational domain; (b) thermal radiation and nature convection
are neglected; and (c) the thermophysical properties are tempera-
ture independent.
The Reynolds number based on the n equivalent diameter
(De) varies from 500 to 5000 in the present study. At small values
of Re, the ow is laminar, and a laminar model is adopted. As Re
increases, the turbulent model should be applied for the simula-
tion. The value of Re, at which the ow begin to deviate from
the laminar is dened as the point of transition. It is denoted
by ReC. A criterion to predict the ReC in the ow is described
below.
Based on these approximations, the three-dimensional govern-
2
ing equations of mass, momentum and energy in the main ow are
as follows:
Mass:

Q ss mss css 3 div qu 0 4

The data were recorded at steady state conditions (heat balance Momentum (laminar ow: Re < ReC)
between cooling air side and steam side is low than 3%). The test
unit CHEs should be well insulated, so it is approximately that @ l 1 @p
ui uj l r2 ui  5
the heat released by steam (Qss) corresponds to the heat absorbed @xj ql ql @xi
by the cooling air.
Momentum (standard ke equations [33] for turbulent ow:
Re > ReC)
3. Numerical simulation     
@k @k @ lt @k @ui @ui @uj
ql ql uj l lt  ql e
3.1. Model
@t @xj @xj rk @xj @xj @xj @xi
6
The computational domain in this study was shown in Fig. 4.     
Considering the symmetry and periodicity of the CHE, The compu- @e @e @ lt @ e c1 e @ui @ui @uj
ql quk l l
tational domain (whole ow channel) was limited by two solid @t @xk @xk re @xk k t @xj @xj @xi
walls (upper and lower walls) corresponding to the median layers e2
of the aluminum plates separating the ows. Such several innova-  c2 ql 7
k
tive offset strip n units, together with the above solid walls, were
set up in the center of the computational domain to eliminate the Energy:
l 
ow instability at the entrance. Two symmetry plans were set up
div qTu div gradT ST 8
at the left and right side of the model. Pr

Fig. 4. Geometries of the computational model.

 H. Peng et al. / Energy Conversion and Management 80 (2014) 287297 291

For the solid area, the energy equation is: (4) The coupling boundary condition was adopted at the inter-
2 face
 between uid and solid.
ks r T s 0 9 @T w  @T l 
kw kl  12
@n C @n C
3.3. 3D meshes
The CFD simulation was carried out using the Fluent 6.3.26 and
Gambit 2.3.16 in Think Station D30 with 32 GB RAM. The SIMPLE
The hexahedral mesh was used for the present simulations, as
algorithm and conjugate heat transfer were used to solve for the
illustrated in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, the mesh consisted of two regions.
pressurevelocity eld and energy equation. The second-order up-
One region lied close to the wall region, and it was discretized with
wind calculation scheme was used for continuity, momentum and
a ne mesh, in order to decrease the temperature gradients at the
energy equations. The solutions were then considered converged
near-wall region. A second region between the ns and the wall
once residual values for the continuity and momentum equations
consisted of a coarse mesh due to the relatively uniform ow in
reached 103 and the energy equation reached 108.
those areas.
Only one test sample CHE was studied in the grid independence
study. Three different meshes were chosen: a coarse mesh with 4. Colburn factor and friction factor deduction
178,416 hexahedral cells, a normal mesh with 233,168 hexahedral
cells, and a ne mesh with 507,036 hexahedral cells. The difference The thermal performance of compact heat exchanger depends
in the results obtained from this study showed that there was no on the structure of geometric sizes and ow conditions. For a given
more than a 3% difference in the pressure proles between the ne set of conditions, Colburn factor j and a friction factor f are adopted
and normal meshes for the n channel, and there was an insignif- for the n performance evaluation.
icant difference in the pressure proles between the normal The Colburn factor j and a friction factor f are dened:
meshes and coarse meshes. So, a normal mesh was adopted
throughout the entire numerical model in order to save the j StPr2=3 13
computing time.
De 2
f DP 14
4L qu2
3.4. Boundary conditions and CFD approach
where the Prandtl number and Reynolds number are:
The boundary conditions were shown in Fig. 4: lc p
Pr 15
k
(1) At the inlet:
uDe
u uas;in ; T T as;in 10 Re 16
m
(2) A pressure outlet boundary was used at the outlet of the
2Hf  tf Pf  t f
model. De 17
(3) A non-slip boundary condition was used at the solid walls Hf  t f Pf  t f
and the standard wall functions were used to predict the The Stanton number can be evaluated by solving Eq. (18):
wall-bounded turbulent ow for Re > ReC.
qw
St 18
T w constant 11 cp GT m  T w

Fig. 5. Mesh of computational model.

292 H. Peng et al. / Energy Conversion and Management 80 (2014) 287297
where qw and Tm are:
Q
qw
Ac
T in T out
Tm
2
5. Results and discussion
5.1. Experimental results
5.1.1. Inuence of n pitch, length and bending distance on n
performance
According to the n scheme arrangement in Table 1, the inu-
ences of the geometrical parameters as n pitch (Pf), n length
(Lf) and n bending distance (Cf) were investigated. The experi-
ments were performed considering a constant steam inlet pressure
(0.12 MPa) and eight different air ow rates. The Reynolds number
at the air side varies from 500 to 5000.
Fig. 6 shows the Colburn factor j and friction factor f of offset
strip ns varying in n pitch (Pf) from 1.0 to 1.5 mm under differ-
ent air Reynolds numbers. It can be seen that, both j and f have a
descending slope for increasing the Reynolds number. Meanwhile,
the Colburn factor j is decreasing by increasing the n pitch at the
same Reynolds number. This is due to an increase in n pitch de-
creases the air side heat transfer area and also decreases the n
efciency.
For friction factor f, substituting De from Eqs. (11)(14) yields
mRe DP
f 21
2qL u3
Fig. 6. Inuence of n pitch on n performance.
Obviously, friction factor f is determined by the ratio of DP to u3
at the identical Reynolds number. An increase in n pitch creates a
19 larger ow area also decreases the ow resistance, allowing the
pressure drop values (DP) to decrease as the n pitch increases.
Simultaneous with the increase of n pitch, the hydraulic diameter
20 increases and the ow velocity u decreases for the same mass ow
rate. Both the two items perform predominantly, the friction factor
f increases indicates that u3 item drops more seriously than DP.
The inuence of n length (Lf) on its performance is shown in
Fig. 7. In the studied range from 3.0 mm to 9.0 mm, both the j
and f factors increase with the decrease of n length. A decrease
of n length creates a series of thicker boundary layers to develop,
thus the heat transfer rate will increase. For friction factors f, with
the increase of Lf, the n number decrease for a xed length in
CHEs, resulting in f factor reduction.
Corresponding studies on offset-strip n parametrical are com-
monly seen in available literatures. However, the n bending dis-
tance (Cf) is a new and signicant parameter in the present
innovative n. This parameter has evidence effect on n perfor-
mance, which is shown in Fig. 8. As n bending distance growth,
ow channel is shrunk and ow velocity is accelerated, which
are quite contrary to those caused by n pitch. Thus their tenden-
cies are the opposite. In other words the Colburn factor j factor des-
cends but the friction factor f increases with n bending distance
decrease.
Fig. 7. Inuence of n length on n performance.
 H. Peng et al. / Energy Conversion and Management 80 (2014) 287297
Fig. 8. Inuence of n bending distance on n performance.
5.1.2. Transition in the ns
Previous studies [8] have shown that, as the air ow rate is in-
creased through offset-strip ns, the wakes develop oscillating
velocities. These oscillating velocities affect the transport of energy
and momentum in the boundary layers on the ns, although the
boundary layers are still laminar. The ow and heat transfer char-
acteristics (j and f factors) were affected by the change in the wake
ow. It can be seen in Figs. 68, at small values of Re, the ow is
laminar, and a laminar model is applicable for predicting the j
and f values. As Reynolds number increases, the j and f curves
change slopes and the laminar model will then underpredict the
data. This change of slope occurs over a small Re range. In this pa-
per, the value of Re, at which the curves begin to deviate from the
straight laminar line is dened as the point of transition. It is
marked by ReC. The region Re < ReC is the laminar ow while the
region Re > ReC is the turbulent ow. Also, these CHEs operate at
500 < Re < 5000 in the present study. At Re = 5000, the turbulent
ow occurs on the n arrays and a criterion to predict the point
of transition is obtained from the above experimental data of 5
heat exchangers.
Reading from the experimental data (Figs. 68), the correspond-
ing ReC values at the j and f slope changes are in the range of 2000
to 2100, but the j values were chosen to obtained ReC because the
change in slopes of the j curves were observed to be sharper and
more easily identiable.
293
Fig. 9. Comparison between numerical results and experimental data (conventional
offset strip n).
5.2. Numerical simulation
5.2.1. Model validation
Kays and London [3] presented the experimental data for Col-
burn factor j and friction factor f for conventional offset strip ns.
In order to validate the present numerical model, simulations are
carried out at the same geometric sizes and operating conditions
of conventional offset strip ns as presented in their work. The
computation is conducted using the present method. The n height
is 9.525 mm, n pitch is 1.82 mm, n length is 3.175 mm, n thick-
ness is 0.25 mm and the Reynolds number is from 300 to 4500.
The comparison between numerical and experimental results is
shown in Fig. 9. The computational results agree well with the
experimental data, the maximum deviation is 6.4% for Colburn fac-
tor j and 5% for friction factor f, respectively. The agreement be-
tween numerical and experimental results is acceptable, which
proves that the model and method used in the present study are
feasible and reliable.
5.2.2. Temperature eld and ow eld distribution
Taking CHE 2 for example, the air inlet temperature is 323 K and
the air velocity is 20 m/s. The temperature of the solid walls is
365 K. The corresponding Reynolds value calculated at the inlet
section is 1885.
294 H. Peng et al. / Energy Conversion and Management 80 (2014) 287297
Fig. 10. Air temperature (a) and air velocity (a) distributions in numerical
simulation.
The air temperature and velocity contours on a vertical and hor-
izontal plane are shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 10a shows the temperature
distributions near the walls and in the ow on vertical planes (in-
let, center and outlet) of ns. From Fig. 10a, it is clear that the tem-
perature difference between uid and solid walls is larger at the
entrance and decreases fast through the ow direction. As shown
in median vertical plane, the temperature gradient in the near wall
region is much higher than that in the uid ow core. It is due to
the development of the thermal boundary layer. In Fig. 10b, some
zones with high air velocity and others of stagnation due to the ns
can be observed. The lowest values for air velocity are near the n
wall where the ow impacts on the wall thickness and its bound-
ary layer is forced to separate.
The heat ow velocity contours in horizontal cross section at
different Reynolds numbers are shown in Fig. 11. Due to periodi-
cally obstructed, the cyclical bending streamline along the cross-
section channel with the n is shaped. The secondary ows with
slow velocity are clearly illustrated near the n surface. The
Fig. 11. Flow velocity contours at different Reynolds numbers/(m/s).
hydraulic diameter of ow channel changes along the ow direc-
tion, which ow is suddenly shrunken and expanded. The ow
velocity is boosted for cross section suddenly shrunken, which dis-
turb the secondary ow strongly. The longitudinal vortex would be
produced. In fact, this movement increases the ow intensity in
channel leading to the heat transfer enhanced.
Two structure models with different n lengths (Lf = 9.0 mm,
Lf = 3.0 mm) are simulated. The results are displayed in Fig. 12.
The ow velocity contours at the Reynolds number of 1885 show
that for the lower n length of 9 mm, the heat transfer area is lar-
ger, the interruption of the wall boundary layers is stronger and
the mixing is more serious produced by longitudinal vortex shed-
ding as well as unsteady secondary ow motions are induced by
the cuboid n. Above combined effects induce that the ns with
lower n length have the higher thermal performance and pressure
drop than that of ns with high n length.
5.2.3. Numerical simulation comparison with experimental data
The overall Colburn factor j and the friction factor f were deter-
mined by equations given in Section 4. Numerical simulations
were made for Reynolds numbers from 500 to 5000 according to
the experiments. The comparisons of Colburn factor j and friction
factor f between the experimental data and the numerical simula-
tion are shown in Fig. 13. It can be seen that the computed Colburn
factor j and friction factor f decreases for the increase of Reynolds
number, and this trend is described in the experimental data pre-
viously. The maximum deviations were approximately 7.9% of Col-
burn factor j and 4.8% of friction factor f, respectively. From above
phenomena, although both tendencies of the present experimental
data and simulated results agree well, their values vary evidently.
 H. Peng et al. / Energy Conversion and Management 80 (2014) 287297 295

Fig. 12. Flow velocity contours with different n length/(m/s).

Fig. 13. Comparison between experimental data and numerical simulation.

In Fig. 13(a), the offset between the experimental and numerical

data for Colburn factor j is shown to increase with increasing Rey-
nolds number. And in Fig. 13(b), it is also clear that the friction fac-
tor f obtained by experiments is greater than the simulation
results. The reason is that the effects of burred n ends and the
roughness on the top and bottom walls of the n channel are not
considered in the numerical models. Burred n ends are caused
by the shearing process used in their manufacture, and the rough-
ness results from bending continuous metal strips into rectangular
shapes. Burred n ends increase the form drag thus raises the over-
all friction and the surface roughness may cause an increase in
both heat transfer and friction.

5.2.4. Local and average heat transfer characteristics

The heat transfer behavior and mechanism can be better under-
stood from local Nusselt number (Nu) distribution along the com-
putational domain. The local Nusselt number is expressed as:
qw De
NuL
kT su;C  T w
A detailed analysis of the local Nusselt number Nu at different
locations is showed in Figs. 14 and 15. Fig. 14 shows the Nusselt
number versus the normalized height (y/H) of the ow channel.
The local Nu values were calculated at the entrance, in the center
and the outlet along the computational domain. The local Nu val-
ues were higher at the entrance and showed decreasing values
through the ow directions. This was because the decrease of the
temperature difference between the uid and the solid walls
Fig. 14. Local Nu versus normalized height of ow channel.
22
resulting in a lower heat transfer rate along the ow channel. For
each curve, the trends are very similar, that the higher values of
Nu can be found in the region of 0.2 < y/H < 0.8 of the channel
where the air ow is faster and nds easily its way through the
channel.
In Fig. 15, the compassion among the average Nusselt number
with different air Reynolds numbers was observed. It can be seen
that with the increase of air ow velocity (the corresponding Re
296 H. Peng et al. / Energy Conversion and Management 80 (2014) 287297
Fig. 15. Average Nu versus normalized height at different Reynolds number.
is from 500 to 5000), the average Nusselt number linearly
increases, resulting in a higher heat transfer rate.
6. Conclusions
In this paper, the ow and heat transfer characteristics of inno-
vative offset strip ns in CHEs were investigated both experimen-
tally and numerically. The effects of geometric parameters were
presented at various Reynolds number. Also the local Nusselt num-
ber, temperature distribution and velocity vectors were discussed.
Key ndings of this study were:
1. The thermalhydraulic performance for 5 offset strip ns have
been analyzed and are shown to be affected by the n geomet-
ric parameters Lf, Pf and Cf. along with the Reynolds numbers. At
the same Reynolds number, the Colburn factor j is decreasing
and the friction factor f is increasing by increasing the n pitch
(Pf); the j and f factors increase with the decrease of n length
(Lf); and the Colburn factor j factor descends but the friction fac-
tor f increases with n bending distance (Cf) decrease.
2. The point of transition (2000 < ReC < 2100) that describe the
transition of the data in the deep laminar and fully turbulent
regions has been developed.
3. The vortexes are generated near the n region, where the turbu-
lence intensity enhanced by n obstruct periodically, which
increase velocity gradient to reduce the thickness of boundary
layer to improve heat transfer.
4. The local Nu values was higher at the entrance and showed
decreasing values through the ow directions. Furthermore,
with the increase of air ow velocity, the average Nusselt num-
ber linearly increases, resulting in a higher heat transfer rate.
Overall, the results are dimensionless and could be used to de-
sign CHEs directly. The results revealed how n length, n pitch
and n bending distance can affect performance. More general
studies on the effects of n heights, n thickness, and n materials
can now be undertaken to enrich the database of the innovative
ns performances in CHEs.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the nancial support provided by
Natural Science Fund project in Jiangsu Province (Grant No.
SBK201121011), Collegiate Natural Science Fund of Jiangsu Prov-
ince (Grant No. 10KJB480002), National Natural Science Founda-
tion of China (No. 51176071) and National Key Technology
Research and Development Program (2012BAA07B02).
References
[1] Iamail LS, Velraj R, Ranganayakulu C. Studies on pumping power in terms of
pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics of compact plate-n heat
exchangers a review. Renew Sust Energy Rev 2010;14:47885.
[2] Norris RH, Spofford WA. High-performance ns for heat transfer. Trans ASME
1942;64:48996.
[3] Kays WM, London AL. Compact heat exchanger. 3rd ed. NY: MacGraw-Hill
Book Company; 1984.
[4] Briggs DC, London AL. The heat transfer and ow friction characteristics of ve
offset rectangular and six plain triangular plate-n heat transfer surfaces. In:
International Developments Heat Transfer: Proceedings of the Second
International Heat Transfer Conference, Boulder, CO, ASME, New York; 1961.
p. 12234.
[5] Manson SV. Correlations of heat transfer data and of friction data for
interrupt plain ns staggered in successive rows. In: NACA Tech. Note 2237,
Washington; 1950.
[6] Wieting AR. Empirical correlations for heat transfer and ow friction
characteristics of rectangular offset-n plate-n heat exchangers. J Heat
Transfer 1975;30:6984.
[7] Mochizuki S, Yagi Y. Transport phenomena in stacks of interrupt parallel-plate
surface. Exp Heat Transfer 1987;1:12740.
[8] Joshi HM, Webb RL. Heat transfer and friction in the offset strip-n heat
exchanger. Int J Heat Mass Transfer 1987;30:6984.
[9] Sparrow EM, Hajiloo A. Measurements of heat transfer and pressure drop for
an array of staggered plates aligned parallel to an air ow. J Heat Transfer
1980;102:42632.
[10] Dong J, Chen J, Chen Z, Zhou Y. Air-side thermal hydraulic performance of
offset strip n aluminum heat exchangers. Appl Therm Eng 2007;27:
30613.
[11] Tinaut FV, Meglar A, Ali A. Correlations for heat-transfer and ow friction
characteristics of compact plate-type heat-exchanger. Int J Heat Mass Transfer
1992;35:165965.
[12] Hu S, Herold KE. Prandtl number effect on offset n heat-exchanger
performanceexperimental results. Int J Heat Mass Transfer 1995;38:
105361.
[13] Muzychka YS, Yovanovich MM. Modeling the f and j characteristics for
transverse ow through an offset strip n at low Reynolds number. Enhanc
Heat Transfer 2001;8:24359.
[14] Peng H, Ling X. Numerical modeling and experimental verication of ow and
heat transfer over serrated ns at low Reynolds number. Exp Therm Fluid Sci
2008;32:103948.
[15] Peng H, Ling X. Analysis of heat transfer and ow characteristics over
serrated ns with different ow directions. Energy Convers Manage 2011;
6:3727.
[16] Zeng M, Dua LX, Liao D, Chu WX, Wang QW, Luo Y, et al. Investigation on
pressure drop and heat transfer performances of plate-n iron air preheater
unit with experimental and Genetic Algorithm methods. Appl Energy
2012;92:72532.
[17] Seara JF, Diz R, Uha FJ. Pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics of a
titanium brazed plate-n heat exchanger with offset strip ns. Appl Therm
Eng 2013;51:50211.
[18] Patankar SV, Liu CH, Sparrow EM. Fully developed ow and heat transfer in
ducts having treamwise periodic variations of crosssectional area. J Heat
Transfer 1977;99:1806.
[19] Amano RS. A numerical study of laminar and turbulent heat transfer in a
periodically corrugated wall channel. J Heat Transfer 1985;107:5649.
[20] Suzuki K, Hirai E, Miyaki T, Sato T. Numerical and experimental studies on a
two-dimensional model of an offset-strip-n type compact heat exchanger
used at low Reynolds number. Int J Heat Mass Transfer 1985;28:82336.
[21] Xi G, Hagiwara Y, Suzuki K. Effect of n thickness on ow and heat-transfer
characteristics of n arrays: an offset-n array in the low reynolds number
range. Heat Transfer-Jpn Res 1992;21:119.
[22] Shah RK, Heikal MR, Thonon B, Tochon P. Progress in the numerical analysis of
compact heat exchanger surfaces. Adv Heat Transfer 2000;34:363442.
[23] Sparrow EM, Abraham JP, Chevalier PW. A DOS-enhanced numerical
simulation of heat transfer and uid through an array of offset ns with
conjugate heating in the bounding solid. J Heat Transfer 2005;127:2733.
[24] Carluccio E, Starace G. Numerical analysis of a cross-ow compact heat
exchanger for vehicle applications. Appl Therm Eng 2005;25:19952013.
[25] Ismail LS, Ranganayakulua C, Shah RK. Numerical study of ow patterns of
compact plate-n heat exchangers and generation of design data for offset and
wavy ns. Int J Heat Mass Transfer 2009;52:397283.
[26] Losier CD, Subramanian S, Ponyavin V, Chen YT. The parametric study of
an innovative offset strip-n heat exchanger. J Heat Transfer 2007;129:
14538.
[27] Kim MS, Lee J, Yook SJ, Lee KS. Correlations and optimization of a heat
exchanger with offset-strip ns. Int J Heat Mass Transfer 2011;54:20739.
[28] Saad SB, Clment P, Gentric C, Fourmigu JF, Leclerc JP. Single phase pressure
drop and two-phase distribution in an offset strip n compact heat exchanger.
Appl Therm Eng 2012;49:99105.
[29] Saad SB, Clment P, Gentric C, Fourmigu JF, Leclerc JP. Experimental
distribution of phases and pressure drop in a two-phase offset strip n type
compact heat exchanger. Int J Multiphase Flow 2011;37:57684.
 H. Peng et al. / Energy Conversion and Management 80 (2014) 287297 297

[30] Korichi A, Oufer L, Polidori G. Heat transfer enhancement in self-sustained
oscillatory ow in a grooved channel with oblique plates. Int J Heat Mass
Transfer 2009;52:113848.
[31] Hajmohammadi MR, Salimpour MR, Saber M, Campo A. Detailed analysis for
the cooling performance enhancement of a heat source under a thick plate.
Energy Convers Manage 2013;76:691700.
[32] Zhang LW, Balachandar S, Tafti DK, Najjar FM. Heat transfer enhancement
mechanisms in inline and staggered parallel-plate n heat exchangers. Int J
Heat Mass Transfer 1997;40:230725.
[33] Launder BE, Shima N. 2nd-Moment closure for the near-wall sublayer-
development and application. AIAA J 1989;27:131925.