Finned Tube Radiator Heat Transfer CFD Simulation

Heat Transfer Simulation in a Finned Tube Radiator

This project presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of heat transfer mechanisms within a finned tube radiator using ANSYS Fluent software.

The three-dimensional model was created with Design Modeler software, utilizing symmetry to reduce computational demands. The radiator features air inlet and outlet sections on both sides, with three internal water-carrying pipes. Each pipe incorporates 22 rows of fins to enhance thermal exchange. ANSYS Meshing software generated a grid containing 2,120,802 elements for accurate simulation.

Operating Principles

The radiator functions through a dual-flow heat exchange system. Hot water circulates through the internal pipes at 0.1 m/s with a temperature of 343.15 K. Simultaneously, cooler air flows across these pipes at 3 m/s with an initial temperature of 293.15 K.

The strategic placement of 22 fin rows on each water pipe significantly increases the contact surface between the hot water flow and cooler air, maximizing thermal transfer efficiency. This design enhances the radiator's ability to dissipate heat into the surrounding environment.

Analytical Framework

Our investigation examines heat transfer performance improvements achieved through the fin arrangement on the internal pipes. The simulation employs the standard k-epsilon turbulence model coupled with energy equations to accurately resolve the fluid dynamics and thermal distribution throughout the computational domain.

Results and Visualization

The completed analysis provides comprehensive two and three-dimensional contours depicting velocity profiles, pressure distributions, and temperature gradients. Temperature visualizations clearly demonstrate that air passing over the hot water tubes effectively absorbs thermal energy, exiting the radiator at elevated temperatures—confirming successful heat transfer from the water system to the airflow.