Experimental Heat Transfer Analysis of a New Turbulator in a Concentric Heat Exchanger Tube: A Full Factorial Design Approach

Abstract

People have been looking for alternative energy sources because current sources may be depleted. Furthermore, it is critical to utilize available energy sources as effectively as possible. Turbulators are among the topics to consider when it comes to energy efficiency. In practice, turbulators are often used in exchangers to enhance heat transfer. Putting newly constructed turbulators in determined locations of the constant surface temperature heat exchanger, velocity, temperatures, pressure, and flow measurements have been performed in the inlet and outlet. In the case of using different numbers of turbulators, their placement in different locations, their arrangement at different distances, and their use at different Reynolds, the changes in pressure drop, Nusselt number, friction factor, efficiency, exergy loss rate, and NTU were determined with the full-factor experimental design. When the test data were evaluated, it was seen that as the number of turbulators increased, the thermal efficiency, friction factor, and pressure loss also increased. Using turbulators in different numbers, at different positions, at different distances, and with different Reynolds numbers, the effect ratio on the pressure loss, Nusselt number, and friction factor parameters was detected. In the analyses made, the most efficient parameters on heat transfer were determined, respectively, as Reynolds number (64.55%), the position of turbulators (19.73%), the distance between turbulators (6.09%), and the number of turbulators (5.94%).