Heat transfer analysis of plain and dimpled tubes with different spacings

Heat transfer enhancement by modifying the surface of tubes is commonly practiced throughout the world. Grooves, dimples, flutes or corrugations are placed inside and outside the surface of tubes and channels for enhancement. In this article, a novel method for heat transfer enhancement by varying the spacing between the tubes is reported. A comparison is made between the heat transfer performance of plain tubes and dimpled tubes at different spacings. For analysis, an experimental setup is fabricated and assembled. The flow is externally forced laminar flow of air over a hot tube maintained at constant temperature. Four different velocities of air 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 m/s are considered in this study. Tube surface temperature, heat transfer coefficient, heat transfer rate and Nusselt number are the parameters studied to analyze the thermal behavior of tubes at different spacings of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 cm. From the experimental investigation it is found that, apart from heat transfer enhancement by providing dimples on the tube surfaces, there is an optimal spacing between the tubes after which no further improvement is obtained. In this study, 3.0 cm is found to be the optimal spacing for both plain and dimpled tubes. However, the percentage value of heat transfer enhancement is greater with optimal spacing and for all velocities of air in dimpled tubes.