Abstract
A scale-up modeling technique was used to examine the effect of the geometrical properties of interrupted surfaces on the heat transfer and pressure drop performance of compact heat exchangers having off-set-strip and slotted fins. The test cores, each consisting of a number of machined copper finns, were tested in a subsonic wind tunnel. The heat transfer and the pressure drop for each test core was measured for various fin lengths (in flow direction) and slot distances. Flow visualization and local turbulence intensity and pressure measurements within each test core were also performed to gain insight into the mechanisms of heat transfer augmentation in compact heat exchangers with interrupted surfaces. The effect of the geometrical properties of the fins as well as the Reynolds number on the heat transfer rate and the pressure drop were determined and those results were interpreted in terms of observed flow structure. Basic heat transfer and pressure drop data are presented in terms of Colburn j-factors and Fanning friction factors plotted versus Reynolds number. An empirical correlation for heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics for off-set-strip fins are presented.
