Numerical laminar and turbulent fluid flow and heat transfer predictions in tube banks

Abstract

Numerical predictions of laminar and turbulent fluid flow and heat transfer around staggered and in‐line tube banks are shown to agree closely with seven experimental test cases. The steady state Reynolds‐averaged Navier‐Stokes equations are discretised by means of a cell‐centred finite‐volume algorithm. Two‐dimensional results include velocity vectors and streamlines, surface shear stresses, pressure coefficient distributions, temperature contours, local Nusselt number distributions and average convective heat transfer coefficients, and indicate very good agreement with experimental data. It is found that a relatively fine grid is required to be able to predict the surface heat transfer behaviour accurately. Also, three‐dimensional simulations are shown, which are physically consistent. The numerical procedure presented here is robust, accurate and time efficient, making it suitable as a design tool for tube banks in heat exchangers.