Heat-Transfer Mechanisms in an In-Line Tube Bundle Subject to a Particulate Cross Flow

Abstract

The effect of solid particles in suspension on heat transfer for tubes located within a square tube bundle of pitch-diameter ratio 1.75 has been investigated. Tests conducted at a Reynolds number of 6000 with mean particle diameters of 58 and 127 μm at a mass loading ratio of 0.5 kg particles/kg air indicate that heat transfer is enhanced at all locations by the presence of the particles. However, at a Reynolds number of 12 000 there is a net decrease in the mean Nusselt number at all positions, with the exception of the first row. Assessment of the main mechanisms by which particles modify heat transfer in in-line tube arrays suggests that the enhancement of heat transfer is a consequence of the increased thermal capacity of the suspension, whereas the reduction in Nusselt number is considered to result from a change in the flow structure and turbulence within the array.