Numerical Investigation of Enhanced Heat Transfer with Micro Pin Fins in Heat Exchangers

Pin-fin and flat-tube heat exchangers (PFFTHXs) offer a promising alternative to traditional louvered-fin and flat-tube heat exchangers (LFFTHXs), especially when used as evaporators. The streamlined structure of pin fins helps to effectively remove condensate and defrost water. In this study, we co...

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Main Authors: Qin Zhou, Hongyan Wang, Fuyuan Wu, Shengfei Liu, Huafeng Wei, Guoqing Hu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-08-01
Series:Micromachines
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/9/1120
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author Qin Zhou
Hongyan Wang
Fuyuan Wu
Shengfei Liu
Huafeng Wei
Guoqing Hu
author_facet Qin Zhou
Hongyan Wang
Fuyuan Wu
Shengfei Liu
Huafeng Wei
Guoqing Hu
author_sort Qin Zhou
collection DOAJ
description Pin-fin and flat-tube heat exchangers (PFFTHXs) offer a promising alternative to traditional louvered-fin and flat-tube heat exchangers (LFFTHXs), especially when used as evaporators. The streamlined structure of pin fins helps to effectively remove condensate and defrost water. In this study, we conducted a numerical analysis of 60 different pin-fin configurations across three pin diameters to enhance heat transfer in PFFTHXs. Our investigation focused on how pin pitch affects both airflow and heat transfer efficiency. The results show that a closer pin pitch increases both the heat transfer rate per unit area and the pressure drop for a given airflow velocity. We evaluated the overall performance of these configurations using the heat transfer rate per unit frontal area obtained at equivalent fan power levels. The analysis identified optimal configurations for each pin diameter, with the 0.2 mm diameter configuration demonstrating the highest heat transfer efficiency—this was on par with louvered fins but used fewer resources. This makes it an ideal choice for evaporative applications in PFFTHXs.
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id doaj-art-38c6ea18cbb044a8a33094817a199fd0
institution OA Journals
issn 2072-666X
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publishDate 2024-08-01
publisher MDPI AG
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series Micromachines
spelling doaj-art-38c6ea18cbb044a8a33094817a199fd02025-08-20T01:55:41ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2024-08-01159112010.3390/mi15091120Numerical Investigation of Enhanced Heat Transfer with Micro Pin Fins in Heat ExchangersQin Zhou0Hongyan Wang1Fuyuan Wu2Shengfei Liu3Huafeng Wei4Guoqing Hu5Department of Engineering Mechanics, State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaZhejiang Kangsheng Co., Ltd., Hangzhou 311700, ChinaZhejiang Kangsheng Co., Ltd., Hangzhou 311700, ChinaDepartment of Engineering Mechanics, State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaZhejiang Kangsheng Co., Ltd., Hangzhou 311700, ChinaDepartment of Engineering Mechanics, State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaPin-fin and flat-tube heat exchangers (PFFTHXs) offer a promising alternative to traditional louvered-fin and flat-tube heat exchangers (LFFTHXs), especially when used as evaporators. The streamlined structure of pin fins helps to effectively remove condensate and defrost water. In this study, we conducted a numerical analysis of 60 different pin-fin configurations across three pin diameters to enhance heat transfer in PFFTHXs. Our investigation focused on how pin pitch affects both airflow and heat transfer efficiency. The results show that a closer pin pitch increases both the heat transfer rate per unit area and the pressure drop for a given airflow velocity. We evaluated the overall performance of these configurations using the heat transfer rate per unit frontal area obtained at equivalent fan power levels. The analysis identified optimal configurations for each pin diameter, with the 0.2 mm diameter configuration demonstrating the highest heat transfer efficiency—this was on par with louvered fins but used fewer resources. This makes it an ideal choice for evaporative applications in PFFTHXs.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/9/1120micro pin finpin pitchpin diameterheat transfer enhancementheat exchanger
spellingShingle Qin Zhou
Hongyan Wang
Fuyuan Wu
Shengfei Liu
Huafeng Wei
Guoqing Hu
Numerical Investigation of Enhanced Heat Transfer with Micro Pin Fins in Heat Exchangers
Micromachines
micro pin fin
pin pitch
pin diameter
heat transfer enhancement
heat exchanger
title Numerical Investigation of Enhanced Heat Transfer with Micro Pin Fins in Heat Exchangers
title_full Numerical Investigation of Enhanced Heat Transfer with Micro Pin Fins in Heat Exchangers
title_fullStr Numerical Investigation of Enhanced Heat Transfer with Micro Pin Fins in Heat Exchangers
title_full_unstemmed Numerical Investigation of Enhanced Heat Transfer with Micro Pin Fins in Heat Exchangers
title_short Numerical Investigation of Enhanced Heat Transfer with Micro Pin Fins in Heat Exchangers
title_sort numerical investigation of enhanced heat transfer with micro pin fins in heat exchangers
topic micro pin fin
pin pitch
pin diameter
heat transfer enhancement
heat exchanger
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/9/1120
work_keys_str_mv AT qinzhou numericalinvestigationofenhancedheattransferwithmicropinfinsinheatexchangers
AT hongyanwang numericalinvestigationofenhancedheattransferwithmicropinfinsinheatexchangers
AT fuyuanwu numericalinvestigationofenhancedheattransferwithmicropinfinsinheatexchangers
AT shengfeiliu numericalinvestigationofenhancedheattransferwithmicropinfinsinheatexchangers
AT huafengwei numericalinvestigationofenhancedheattransferwithmicropinfinsinheatexchangers
AT guoqinghu numericalinvestigationofenhancedheattransferwithmicropinfinsinheatexchangers