Heat Transfer Correlations for Star-Shaped Fins

Abstract

Star-shaped fins are a newer type of fin for which correlations for heat transfer and pressure drop do not yet exist in the literature. Therefore, correlation equations for air-side heat transfer and pressure drop in a finned heat exchanger with star-shaped stainless-steel fins in staggered arrangement were developed in this work. To obtain these correlations, a numerical analysis of the basic heat exchanger geometry and another 21 variants of heat exchanger geometry was performed using computational fluid dynamics, and then the results of laboratory tests of a model of heat exchangers with star-shaped fins were used. In the numerical analysis, the fin pitch, the fin thickness, and the air velocity at the inlet to the heat exchanger were varied. The Nusselt (Nu) and Euler (Eu) numbers were determined for each variation analyzed. Initial correlations for Nu and Eu were derived using the least-squares deviation method. The correlation coefficients thus obtained were adjusted to agree with the results of the laboratory tests. The deviation of the final obtained correlation for Nu from the experimental test results was up to 10% in the range of Re < 3500, whereas for higher values of Re, the deviation was less than 2%. The Eu correlation deviated from experimental results up to 19% in the range of Re < 4000, whereas in the range of Re > 5600, the deviation was less than 1%. The correlations were valid in the range 2000 < Re < 16,000.