S-SS-3-24 Single-Phase Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop for Low-Finned Tube Banks

C. M. Laird

2012

Using several data sources, HTRI evaluated current predictions of pressure drop and heat transfer for single-phase cross flow over low-finned tube banks. This report presents alternative correlations and proposes changes that improve prediction accuracy for banks of finned tubes with an outside area per length less than 0.3 m²/m. The improved methods predict over 85 percent of pressure drop and 90 percent of heat transfer measurements within ±20 percent of their measured value. Compared to the current methods, the improved methods predict generally lower values for Rex > 10000; predicted results for Rex < 10000 depend on the actual Reynolds number and fin geometry.