Experimental and numerical study of the heat transfer and pressure drop in triangular chevron channels

Abstract

Chevron channels are one of the popular techniques that are extensively used in manufacturing of compacted heat exchangers. The present paper deals with the experimental and numerical analysis on the fluid flow and heat transfer in a triangular chevron channel. The studies are carried out for a uniform wall heat flux equal to 1350 W/m 2 using air as the working fluid. The Reynolds number varies from 1000 to 10 000, phase shifts 0 • φ 180 • , and channel heights are5 D 35 mm. The study shows a significant effect of the optimum structure of the triangular chevron on the heat transfer rate and friction loss over the channel wall. The Nusselt number increases and the Thermal Enhancement Factor (TEF) decreases with the increasing Reynolds number. The best performance is noticed on the phase shift, φ = 90 •. For triangular chevron surfaces, the maximum heat transfer is obtained 33.33% up to 37.5% more than for a smooth wall channel.