Flow and heat transfer of petal shaped double tube

In this study, the flow and heat transfer characteristics of petal-shaped double tube with 6 petals are examined experimentally for a compact heat exchanger. As results, the heat transfer rate, Q, of the 6 petal shaped double tube (6-p tube) is much larger than that, Qp, of conventional circular double tube in all Reynolds number Rein,h (where, the reference length is hydraulic diameter) ranges. For example, at Rein,h =(0.5～1.0)× 104 it is about 4 times of Qp. The heat transfer enhancement of 6-p tube is by the increase of heat transfer area, wetting perimeter, and a highly fluctuating flow, and Q of the 6-p tube can be expressed by Q [kW/m] = 0.54Rein,h + 2245.