Single phase flow heat transfer characteristics of quad-channel twisted tape inserts in tubes

Abstract Heat transfer and pressure drop of turbulent fluid flow were studied numerically and experimentally in a quad-channel with twisted tapes placed in a circular tube under uniform heat flux boundary condition. All the tests were conducted with water as the working fluid where the turbulent flow range of Reynolds numbers were maintained at 4250 to 11000. Quad-channel twisted tapes (QCTT) were manufactured by 3D printer with the material PLA, the lengths of 50 mm, 100 mm, 200 mm with the twist ratio of 4.48. The tapes were identified with their tape/pipe length ratios (TPR) of 0.025, 0.05 and 0.1. Validation of the experimental data was performed by the comparison of the experimental results with the data from the well-known empirical correlations. Alteration of the friction factors and Nusselt numbers with the Reynolds numbers are presented in this paper. The results showed that the Nusselt number and the friction factor increased with the increasing of the length of QCTTs. On the other hand, the performance evaluation criteria (PEC) should be declining with the increase of the lengths of the tapes. The evaluated temperature distributions inside the tested tubes with the inserts were plotted in order to investigate the observed data. Based on the obtained experimental data, the empirical correlations for the Nusselt number within the deviation of ±2% and the friction factor within the deviation of ±5% were developed for the practical usage.