Heat Transfer Enhancement of Tube Bundle with Symmetrically Inclined Annular Fins for Waste Heat Recovery

Jiahui Wang, Hanxiao Liu, Liming Wu, Liyuan Yu, Peng Liu () and Zhichun Liu ()
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Jiahui Wang: Institute of Thermal Science and Power Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China
Hanxiao Liu: School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Liming Wu: Feida Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Shaoxing 311800, China
Liyuan Yu: Feida Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Shaoxing 311800, China
Peng Liu: Institute of Thermal Science and Power Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China
Zhichun Liu: School of Energy and Power Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-20

Abstract: Enhancing convective heat transfer efficiency in waste heat recovery applications is critical for improved energy utilization. This study conducts a convective heat transfer optimization of a tube bundle for waste heat recovery of flue gas based on an exergy destruction minimization method. The results indicate that the multi-longitudinal vortex flow is the optimal flow field for heat transfer in a tube bundle. To achieve this flow field, a novel tube bundle equipped with symmetrically inclined annular fins has been proposed and the thermal–hydraulic performance has been numerically investigated. The effects of key geometric parameters, including fin inclination angle ( θ = 30°, 35°, 40°, 45°, 50°) and fin diameters ( D = 62, 68, 74 mm), were systematically analyzed under varying inlet velocities (8–16 m/s) and heat flux densities (23,000–49,000 W/m 2 ) at inlet temperatures of 527 K and 557 K. Results demonstrate that both the convective heat transfer coefficient ( h ) and tube bundle power consumption ( P w ) increase with rising fin diameters and inclination angle. At a constant D , h and P w exhibit a positive correlation with θ . Crucially, compared to a traditional smooth-tube bundle, the optimal annular fin configuration ( θ = 45°, D = 74 mm) achieved a significant enhancement in the convective heat transfer coefficient of 22.76% to 31.22%. This improvement is attributed to intensified vortex generation near the fins, particularly above and below them at higher angles, despite a reduction in vortex count. These findings provide valuable insights for the design of high-efficiency finned tube heat exchangers for flue gas waste heat recovery.

Keywords: flue gas heat recovery; tube bundle; symmetrically inclined annular fins; heat transfer enhancement; numerical analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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