The tube heat exchanger with a helical groove improves efficiency and performance. Helical grooves in tubes provide a whirling flow pattern that boosts heat transfer. This design promotes fluid flow turbulence, improving thermal conductivity and lowering boundary layer development, which impacts heat exchange. This makes the exchanger ideal for viscous or particle fluids. Industries that need excellent thermal efficiency and durability choose the helical groove design because it increases heat transmission and assures a more consistent temperature distribution along the tube length. The present CFD study is supported by a valuable reference paper entitled “ CFD Study of Tube in Tube Heat Exchanger with Helical Insert of Different Height and Helical Groove [1]”.

• Reference [1]: Tiwari, Anshuman, Parag Mishra, and Ajay Singh. “CFD Study of Tube in Tube Heat Exchanger with Helical Insert of Different Height and Helical Groove.” International Journal of Applied Engineering Research 13.18 (2018): 13566-13573.

Figure 1: Schematic of Tube Heat Exchanger With Helical Groove

Simulation Process

The model consists of four parts. Two are dedicated to fluid regions, and the other two are designed for the walls of the tubes. The helical groove plays a vital role in the concept of optimized heat exchangers. However, their curvature design can cause a formidable challenge for mesh generation. This is why 14423295 cells were produced. The copper helical groove and walls boost the heat transfer. The cold fluid enters at 305K and the hot fluid is at 328K.

Post-processing

The CFD simulations of the tube heat exchanger with helical groove show changes in thermal performance that can be measured. The temperature outlines show that heat is moving efficiently between the fluid streams. The cold fluid’s temperature rises from 305K to 309K, and the hot fluid’s temperature drops from 328K to 324K, which is a 4K change in both streams. The complex flow patterns around the helical loops are accurately captured by the high-resolution mesh with 14,423,295 cells. The temperature distribution visualization clearly shows the slow change in temperature along the length of the tube. The copper walls make it easy for heat to move between the fluid streams.

Moreover, The velocity study shows a small rise from 1.3 m/s to 1.313 m/s through the exchanger, which means there isn’t much pressure loss and the mixing is still good. Controlled turbulence is created by the helical groove design, as shown by the velocity outlines that show consistent flow patterns along the groove geometry. This part of the design helps the fluids mix better without lowering the pressure too much, which makes heat movement more efficient. The simulation results show that the helical groove configuration works well at improving the performance of the heat exchanger while keeping the real-world working conditions.

Figure 2: Temperature field across the Tube Heat Exchanger With Helical Groove