Analysis of Heat Transfer and Pressure Drops Associated with Twisted Tube Heat Exchangers

Several studies have been done on the effects of twisted tubes in heat exchangers, including the correlations that relate the flow parameters to the heat transfer and pressure drop experienced. These studies are new, with the earliest being performed in 1982. As such, there are many correlations covering only certain flow parameters and geometrical configurations such as the Reynolds number and modified Froude number. This thesis attempts to cover flow regimes and tube geometries not yet studied and yield correlations. Data are gathered from heat exchangers featuring twisted tubes with water as the working fluid. It is noticed that the longer the twist pitch, the lower the friction factor and pressure drop are. Finally, correlations are presented for both tube-side and shell-side heat transfer, and pressure drop.