Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger, Helical Fin, Mixture NanoFluid, ANSYS Fluent CFD Simulation Training

This simulation is about a shell and tube heat exchanger with helical fins via ANSYS Fluent software.

Heat exchangers are mechanical devices that transfer heat between hot and cold sections. Heat exchangers have many applications in industry and are made in different types. One of the industry's most common and widely used types is shell and tube, heat exchangers.

One of the two cold or hot flows passes through the heat exchanger's tubes, and the other flow passes through the shell. Now, if helical fins are used inside the heat exchanger's shell, it will prolong the movement of the fluid inside the shell and increase the chance of contact with the surface of the tubes.

As a result, the heat transfer rate inside the heat exchanger is enhanced. In this project, the heat transfer inside the heat exchanger is investigated. Inside the heat exchanger, Al₂O₃-water nanofluid is used instead of pure fluid.

The geometry of the present model is drawn by Design Modeler software. The model is then meshed by ANSYS Meshing software. The model mesh is unstructured.

Shell and Tube Methodology

In this simulation, nanofluid is used inside the heat exchanger. Two methods can be used to define nanofluids. In the first method, a multiphase model is defined, consisting of an initial fluid and mixed nanoparticles inside it.

This method has a relatively high computational cost. In the second method, formulas and relations related to the thermophysical properties of nanofluids are used.

This means that we have the density, specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity, and viscosity of the base fluid and nanoparticles. According to the formula, we can obtain the values of these parameters for the nanofluid.

Shell and Tube Conclusion

After simulation, the contours of temperature, velocity, and pressure are obtained. The results show that using nanofluids instead of fluid and applying helical fins inside the shell's flow path helps to enhance heat transfer.

The temperature contour correctly shows the heat transfer in the shell section of the heat exchanger.