Influence of Geometrical Parameters on Heat Transfer of Transversely Corrugated Helically Coiled Tube for Deicing Fluid

Abstract

In order to ensure flight safety in cold winter, aircraft ground deicing is crucial and necessary. In Chinese deicing fluid heating system, the helically coiled tube is paramount exchanger to heat deicing fluid. The deicing fluid is ethylene-glycol-based mixture with high viscosity. Aiming at heat transfer enhancement of deicing fluid, ring rib is formed by an embossed tube wall toward the internal of the tube; thus, transversely corrugated helically coiled tube (TCHC) is achieved. Depth and width are two key geometrical parameters of ring rib. Based on field synergy principle, the influence of depth–diameter ratio (H/D) and width-diameter ratio (w/D) is investigated through numerical simulation. The results show that outlet temperature, mean convection heat transfer coefficient, and Nusselt number have similar trends, which first increase and then decrease nonlinearly. The variation of flow resistance coefficient is inversely proportional to Reynolds number. Especially, the effect of H/D is more significant than that of w/D. Field synergy angle and velocity field are also analyzed to reveal the mechanism of heat transfer. TCHC performs better than the original tube. Orthogonal experiment calculates the outlet temperature of TCHC when H/D and w/D change. The combination of H/D=0.075 and w/D=0.5 is best solution. TCHC effectively enhances heat transfer of deicing fluid. Therefore, TCHC is beneficial to improve the deicing efficiency and ensure the flight punctuality.