Numerical Investigation of the Effect of Inserted Twisted Tape inside Submerged Bundle Tubes on its Thermal Performance

Twisted tape insertion in the smooth plain tube is one of the types of passive methods that are used to enhance heat transfer. Swirl fluid flow inside the tube and related heat transfer characteristics are very complex. ANSYS FLUENT (V 16.1) and ASPEN industrial program are used in analyzing this technique for enhancement heat transfer. A circular plain tube has length L=8534mm and 17 mm inner diameter with a twisted tape of twist ratio of y = (H/D) = (150/17) =8.8 along the plain tube were considered for this study. Eight Reynolds numbers (Re) of 784, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 and 7000 are used to analyze the response of thermal performance. Crude oil API 28 exit temperature, film heat transfer coefficient, Nusselt number and overall enhancement ratio results are presented for both empty and inserted plain tube with a comparison between the two cases. An increase of 0.76 to 2.36 overall enhancement is predicted with twist ratio 8.8 for Reynolds number 784 to 7000 respectively.