Forced convection heat transfer outside tubes

In the forced convection heat transfer, the heat-transfer coefficient, mainly depends on the fluid velocity because the contribution from natural convection is negligibly small. The dependence of the heat-transfer coefficient, on fluid velocity, which has been observed empirically (1—3), for laminar flow inside tubes, is h for turbulent flow inside tubes, h and for flow outside tubes, h. Flow may be classified as laminar or... 

Men et al. (2014) have conducted experiments on the natural convection heat transfer for a PRHRS HEX in an in-containment refueling water storage tank. Several empirical correlations for the forced convection flow internal to the HEX tube and the natural convection heat transfer outside of the tube in the tank, for the vertical and horizontal portion of the tube, were compared with experimental data. The Dittus-Boelter forced convection correlation and the McAdams correlations for natural convection proved to give the better model of the data. Wenbin et al. (2014) have conducted experiments for the secondary loop of the Chinese Advance Pressurized Water Reactor for validation of the MIS AP20 models and code. These and other papers are in a special issue of the Science and Technology of Nuclear Installations journal published in 2014 as indicated by the cited references. 

Where hi and are the convection heat transfer coefficients inside and outside the tube, respectively, v/hich are to be determined using the forced convection relations. 

Hauf and Grigull [133-135] precisely measured the natural convection heat transfer inside a tube following a step change in the temperature of a fluid in forced convection over the outside of the tube. In this case the heat transfer coefficient on the outer surface is constant throughout the transient, and the heat capacity of the wall plays an important role. Cheng et al. [50] have studied conditions leading to the formation of ice inside horizontal tubes (without throughflow), also with uniform heat transfer coefficient between the outside boundary and a cold environment. 

When a fluid is heated, the hot less-dense fluid rises and is replaced by cold material, thus setting up a natural convection current. When the fluid is agitated by some external means, then forced convection takes place. It is normally considered that there is a stationary film of fluid adjacent to the wall and that heat transfer takes place through this film by conduction. Because the thermal conductivity of most liquids is low, the main resistance to the flow of heat is in the film. Conduction through this film is given by the usual relation (74), but the value of h is not simply a property of the fluid but depends on many factors such as the geometry of the system and the flow dynamics for example, with tubes there are significant differences between the inside and outside film coefficients. 

Specific correlations of individual film coefficients necessarily are restricted in scope. Among the distinctions that are made are those of geometry, whether inside or outside of tubes for instance, or the shapes of the heat transfer surfaces free or forced convection laminar or turbulent flow liquids, gases, liquid metals, non-Newtonian fluids pure substances or mixtures completely or partially condensable air, water, refrigerants, or other specific substances fluidized or fixed particles combined convection and radiation and others. In spite of such qualifications, it should be... 

The mechanism of heat flow in forced convection outside tubes differs from that of flow inside tubes, because of differences in the fluid-flow mechanism. As has been shown on pages 59 and 106 no form drag exists inside tubes except perhaps for a short distance at the entrance end, and all friction is wall friction. Because of the lack of form friction, there is no variation in the local heat transfer at different points in a given circumference, and a close analogy exists between friction and heat transfer. An increase in heat transfer is obtainable at the expense of added friction simply by increasing the fluid velocity. Also, a sharp distinction exists between laminar and turbulent flow, which calls for different treatment of heat-transfer relations for the two flow regimes. 

FLUIDS FLOWING NORMALLY TO A SINGLE TUBE. The variables affecting the coefficient of heat transfer to a fluid in forced convection outside a tube are D , the outside diameter of the tube Cp, /r, and k, the specific heat at constant pressure, the viscosity, and the thermal conductivity, respectively, of the fluid and G, the mass velocity of the fluid approaching the tube, Dimensional analysis gives, then, an equation of the type of Eq, (12,27) ... 

Cox et al. [101] used several kinds of enhanced tubes to improve the performance of horizontal-tube multiple-effect plants for saline water conversion. Overall heat transfer coefficients (forced convection condensation inside and spray-film evaporation outside) were reported for tubes internally enhanced with circumferential V grooves (35 percent maximum increase in U) and protuberances produced by spiral indenting from the outside (4 percent increase). No increases were obtained with a knurled surface. Prince [102] obtained a 200 percent increase in U with internal circumferential ribs however, the outside (spray-film evaporation) was also enhanced. Luu and Bergles [15] reported data for enhanced condensation of R-113 in tubes with helical repeated-rib internal roughness. Average coefficients were increased 80 percent above smooth-tube values. Coefficients with deep spirally fluted tubes (envelope diameter basis) were increased by 50 percent. 

Introduction. The use of fins or extended surfaces on the outside of a heat exchanger pipe wall to give relatively high heat-transfer coefficients in the exchanger is quite common. An automobile radiator is such a device, where hot water passes inside through a bank of tubes and loses heat to the air. On the outside of the tubes, extended surfaces receive heat from the tube walls and transmit it to the air by forced convection. 

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