RECENT ADVANCES IN FIN-AND-TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to summarize the recent progress of fin pattern designs. Some of the designs are from the applied patents and some are from the recent literatures. The fin patterns include interrupted surfaces, enhanced wavy and the vortex generators. Benefits and the associated constraints of these designs are discussed. To effectively improve the heat transfer performance, asymmetric designs offer some promising features in the advanced fin patterns. Moreover, concave depression such as cavity design show significant advantages over conventional interrupted fin surfaces. It is recommended that further detailed examinations on the relevant concepts either via numerical simulation or experimental implementation are carried out in the future to gain further insight into the designs.