Shell Side CFD Analysis of a Small Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger with Elliptical Tubes

摘要

In this article, the thermal and flow characteristics of a small, single pass, STHX fitted with elliptical tubes are resolved using commercial ANSYS Fluent. A 3D CFD model in solid edge was built, while the physical domain was discretized into tetrahedral elements of 50,71,151 with 9,56,469 nodes using ICEM-CFD 14.0. The most suitable k - ε realizable model for turbulence was employed. The influence of baffle spacing and different angle of attack for STHX with elliptical tubes is highlighted while fixing baffle cut at 36%. Results show that a five-baffled STHX with elliptical tube arranged in triangular tube layout is found to be most effective for angle of attack of 0°.