Fanning friction (f) and colburn (j) factors of a louvered fin and flat tube compact heat exchanger

Abstract

In the present study, the heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of air over the louvered fins in a compact heat exchanger, used as a radiator in the automobiles have been experimentally investigated. The experiments were conducted at various flow rates of air and the results showed a decrease in goodness factor of 22.7% with respect to increase in Reynolds number from 231 to 495. The experimental results were compared with the CFD results and the 'f' and 'j' factors from the CFD analysis are in good agreement with the experimental data. Also, the experimental 'f' and 'j' factors were compared with the predicted values from the available correlations in the literature for the louvered fin and tube compact heat exchangers. The large deviation of the predicted results revealed that the correlations are not reliable for the design of the compact heat exchanger. Hence, the CFD analysis is more advantageous for the optimal design of compact heat exchanger, which also reduces the experimentation time and cost.