Performance Enhancement of Convective Heat Transfer in Double Pipe Heat Exchangers using Different Vortex Generators’ Configurations

Double-pipe heat exchangers (DPHEs) are important devices used for efficient heat transfer between fluids, affecting system energy Performance. This study explores different configurations for the integration of vortex generators (VGs) into DPHEs to enhance the convective heat transfer. VGs create vortical structures that enhance mixing between the near wall and outer flows, thus improving the convective heat transfer mechanism. Different VG configurations (8, 12, and 16 rows on the inner tube of the DPHE) were analyzed using CFD simulations, focusing on key performance metrics like heat transfer rates, heat transfer coefficient, effectiveness, and pressure drop. Results showed that the heat transfer enhancement increases with the number of VGs rows, with a heat transfer coefficient rises by 7.61% and effectiveness by 7.14% with 16 VG rows, for the counter-flow DPHE configuration. The parallel flow DPHE showed significantly higher enhancements, with 11.47% increase in heat transfer rate and a 9.98% improvement in effectiveness. This research underscores the potential of VGs for enhancing heat transfer in industrial heat exchangers and provides a framework for future thermal system optimization.