Air-Side Performance Characteristics of Round- and Flat-Tube Heat Exchangers: A Literature Review, Analysis and Comparison

摘要

The air-side thermal-hydraulic performance of serpentine-fin, flat-tube heat exchangersis compared to that of conventional plate-fin, round-tube designs for various fin geometries andsurface conditions. Heat exchanger performance correlations are obtained through a criticalreview of literature and complementary analyses. The result shows a clear advantage of flat-tubedesign under dry, low-Reynolds-number conditions in comparison to round-tube heatexchangers. The parametric effects on heat exchanger performance reported in the literature,the reasons of discrepancies, and the practical ranges of geometrical and operational parametersin applications are identified and summarized in this study.