Numerical Study of Heat Transfer Characteristic for Subcooled Falling Film outside the Shaped Tubes under Rolling Motion

  • HAN Hui ,
  • WANG Junqi ,
  • WANG Shaowei ,
  • LI Yuxing
Expand
  • Provincial Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Storage and Transportation Safety in Shandong Province, China University of Petroleum (Huadong), Qingdao 266580, China

Online published: 2023-11-22

Supported by

The present work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U21B2085, 52274068) and the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China (ZR2021ME128). 

Copyright

Science Press, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, CAS and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023

Abstract

The heat transfer performance of spiral wound heat exchanger used in the floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) may be significantly affected by the sloshing conditions. In this paper, a three-dimensional numerical model combined with the dynamic mesh technology is conducted to study subcooled falling film heat transfer under static and sloshing conditions. The three-dimensional velocity distribution of the liquid film on the shell side is observed. The effects of cross-section shape of heat exchange tubes, Reynolds numbers and sloshing parameters on heat transfer characteristics are analyzed. The results indicate that the heat transfer performance of the egg-shaped tube is superior to that of the elliptical and circular tube under both static and sloshing conditions due to significant heat transfer improvement in the lower half of the tube. The heat transfer coefficients of three different kinds of tubes decrease under sloshing conditions. When the rolling amplitude is 6°, the average heat transfer coefficients of the circular tube, elliptical tube and egg-shaped tube are reduced by 2.1%, 3.7% and 4.9% respectively. Under the current sloshing parameters, increasing the rolling amplitude, the heat transfer coefficients of three different tubes are slightly increased, while the sloshing period has little effect on heat transfer. The egg-shaped tube and elliptical tube are greatly affected by sloshing motion at the low Reynolds number, while the effect is relatively small at the high Reynolds number.

Cite this article

HAN Hui , WANG Junqi , WANG Shaowei , LI Yuxing . Numerical Study of Heat Transfer Characteristic for Subcooled Falling Film outside the Shaped Tubes under Rolling Motion[J]. Journal of Thermal Science, 2023 , 32(3) : 922 -932 . DOI: 10.1007/s11630-023-1709-y

References

[1] Zhao W.H., Yang J.M., Hu Z.Q., et al., Recent developments on the hydro-dynamics of floating liquid natural gas (FLNG). Ocean Engineering, 2011, 38: 1555– 1567.
[2] Zhao W., Milne I.A., Efthymiou M., et al., Current practice and research directions in hydrodynamics for FLNG-side-by-side offloading. Ocean Engineering, 2018, 158: 99–110.
[3] Wang T.T, Ding G.L., Ren T., Chen J., A mathematical model of floating LNG spiral-wound heat exchangers under rolling conditions. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2016, 99: 959–969.
[4] Ribatski G., Jacobi A.M., Falling-film evaporation on horizontal tubes–A critical review. International Journal of Refrigeration, 2005, 28: 635–653.
[5] Parken W.H., Fletcher L.S., Han J.C., Heat transfer through falling film evaporation and boiling on horizontal tubes. Journal of Heat Transfer, 1990, 112: 744–750. 
[6] Hu X., Jacobi A.M., The intertube falling Film: Part 1- Flow characteristics, mode transitions, and hysteresis. Journal of Heat Transfer, 1996, 118: 616–625.
[7] Hu X., Jacobi A.M., The intertube falling film: Part 2- Mode effects on sensible heat transfer to a falling liquid film. Journal of Heat Transfer, 1996, 118: 626–633.
[8] Chien L.H., Tsai Y.L., An experimental study of pool boiling and falling film vaporization on horizontal tubes in R-245fa. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2011, 31: 4044–4054. 
[9] Jin P., Zhao C.Y., Ji W.T., et al., Experimental investigation of R410A and R32 falling film evaporation on horizontal enhanced tubes. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2018, 137: S953732293.
[10] Chyu M.C., Bergles A.E., An analytical and experimental study of falling-film evaporation on a horizontal tube. ASME Journal of Heat Transfer, 1987, 109: 983–990.
[11] Han J., Fletcher L.S., Falling film evaporation and boiling in circumferential and axial grooves on horizontal tubes. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Process Design and Development, 1985, 24: 570–575.
[12] Liu S.L., Mu X.S., Shen S.Q., et al., Experimental study on the distribution of local heat transfer coefficient of falling film heat transfer outside horizontal tube. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2021, 170: 121031.
[13] Mu X., Shen S., Yang Y., et al., Experimental study on overall heat transfer coefficient of seawater on three tube arrangements for horizontal-tube falling film evaporator. Desalination and Water Treatment 2016, 57: 9993–10002.
[14] Bustamante J.G., Garimella S., Dominant flow mechanisms in falling-film and droplet-mode evaporation over horizontal rectangular tube banks. International Journal of Refrigeration, 2014, 43: 80–89.
[15] Neeraas B.O., Fredheim A.O., Aunan B., Experimental data and model for heat transfer in liquid falling film flow on shell-side for spiral-wound LNG heat exchangers. Journal of Heat Transfer, 2004, 47: 3565–3572.
[16] Ding C., Hu H.T., Ding G.L., et al., Experimental investigation on downward flow boiling heat transfer characteristics of propane in shell side of LNG spiral wound heat exchanger. International Journal of Refrigeration, 2017, 84: 13–25.
[17] Wang Q.F., Li M.X., Xu W.J., et al., Review on liquid film flow and heat transfer characteristics outside horizontal tube falling film evaporator: CFD numerical simulation. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2020, 163: 20440.
[18] Zhao C.Y., Ji W.T., et al., A comprehensive numerical study on the subcooled falling film heat transfer on a horizontal smooth tube. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2018, 119: 259–270. 
[19] Hao J.Y., Xu Y.J., et al., Numerical study on heat transfer of oily wastewater spray falling film over a horizontal tube in a sewage source heat pump. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2019, 142: 118423.
[20] Zhao C.Y., Ji W.T., Jin P.H., Zhong Y.J., Tao W.Q., Hydrodynamic behaviors of the falling film flow on a horizontal tube and construction of new film thickness correlation. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2018, 119: 564–576.
[21] Jafar F.A., Thorpe G.R., Turan O.F., Falling film transition and heat transfer on horizontal circular cylinders. 17th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, 2010, December 5–9.
[22] Wu Z.Y., Wang H., Cai W.H., Jiang Y.Q., Numerical investigation of boiling heat transfer on the shell-side of spiral wound heat exchanger. Heat and Mass Transfer, 2016, 52: 1973–1982.
[23] Li J.R., Hu H.T., et al., Numerical investigation on flow pattern transformation and heat transfer characteristics of two-phase flow boiling in the shell side of LNG spiral wound heat exchanger. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 2020, 152: 106289.
[24] Luo L.C., Zhang G.M., Pan J.H., Tian M.C., Flow and heat transfer characteristics of falling water film on horizontal circular and non-circular cylinders. Journal of Hydrodynamics, 2013, 25: 404–414.
[25] Abraham R., Mani A., Heat transfer characteristics in horizontal tube bundles for falling film evaporation in multi-effect desalination system. Desalination, 2015, 375: 129–137.
[26] Hu W.K., Yang L., Guo L.H., Numerical simulation of the liquid flowing and heat-transfer outside the tube of the horizontal-tube falling film evaporator. Advanced Material Research, 2012, 614–615: 296–300.
[27] Zhou Y., Cai Z., Ning Z., Bi M., Numerical simulation of double-phase coupled heat transfer process of horizontal-tube falling film evaporation. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2017, 118: 33–40.
[28] Li M., Lu Y., Numerical and experimental study of local heat mass transfer characteristics of horizontal falling films of CaCl2 solution absorbing vapor from humid air. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2020, 153: 119574.
[29] Han H., Wang S.W., et al., 3-D Numerical study for the film thickness distribution of n-pentane falling film flow around the curved egg-shaped tube bundle. Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 2020, 156: 156–170.
[30] Hirt C.W., Nichols B.D., Volume of fluid (VOF) method for the dynamics of free boundaries. Journal of Computer Physical, 1981, 39: 201–225.
[31] Brackbill J.U., Kothe D.B., Zemach C., A continuum method for modeling surface tension. Journal of Computer Physical, 1992, 100: 335–354.
[32] Han H., Wang S.W., Li Y.X., Numerical study of the falling film thickness around the tube bundle with different spacings between spray holes and tubes under tilt and sloshing conditions. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2019, 138: 184–193.
Outlines

/