A Comprehensive Analysis of Dimpled Tube Heat Exchanger Performance with the variations in Reynolds and Nusselt Number

Abstract - Heat exchangers play a crucial role in various industries, including power generation, chemical processing especially ventilation and air conditioning. Performance and efficiency of heat exchangers is observed to have dependent on various fluid flow parameters like Nusselt and Reynold numbers. In this research work, an attempt is made to investigate the performance of dimpled tube heat exchangers under different flow conditions, characterized by the Reynolds number and Nusselt Number. Results show that dimpled tubes outperform smooth tubes, with significant improvements in heat transfer rates and moderate increases in pressure drop. From tabular values and plots it was found that using spherical dimples leads to a significant increase in the heat transfer rate as compared to that of a normal tube without dimples. Also, it was seen that the change of dimple arrangement from inline to staggered arrangement enhances the heat transfer characteristics to a noticeable amount as compared to others but may further be studied for higher scale implementation with some corresponding moderations. This research has important implications for industries that rely on heat exchangers, offering a potential solution to improve their efficiency and reduce energy consumption which can aid in developing more efficient and sustainable heat transfer systems. Key Words: heat transfer coefficient (h), dimpled tube, nusselt Number (Nu), reynolds Number (Re), smooth tubes