Influence of tube bundle geometry on heat transfer to foam flow

Abstract

Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, South Africa, 1-4 July, 2007.

Usage of two–phase gas–liquid foam flow as a coolant allows achieving relatively large heat transfer intensity with smaller coolant mass flow rate. However number of foam peculiarities complicates an application of the analytical methods for heat transfer investigation. Presently an experimental method of investigation was selected as the most suitable. Due to the fact that tube bundles of different geometry my be used in foam apparatus, the experimental investigation of heat transfer of the in–line tube bundle with different spacing between tubes to vertical foam flow was performed. Spacing among the centres of the tubes across the in–line tube bundle was 0.03 m and spacing along the bundle was 0.03 m. In other case the spacing along the bundle was 0.06 m. Results of investigation showed that an effect of “shadow” is slight and heat transfer is higher for the tubes of the in–line tube bundle with more spacing between the tubes’ centres along the bundle.