Performance-evaluation criteria for enhanced heat-transfer surfaces

Abstract The second law of thermodynamics has been applied to the determination of the entropy production for the enhancement of heat-transfer surfaces in order to develop a criterion to assess the heat-transfer performance. Based on the various constraints, a general evaluation criterion for the heat-transfer enhancement is developed. In the present paper, the guidline of the heat-transfer performance and the friction factor for enhanced processes is obtained by reducing the entropy-production rate for augmented surfaces at fixed flow rate and pressure drop. The results can either screen out those unsuitable enhanced surfaces or assist the engineers to design the better heat-transfer surfaces.