Numerical Investigation of Heat Transfer and Flow Dynamics in Tubes with DNA-Inspired Slotted Inserts

Penglong Zhu, Guoxiu Sun, Ruimeng Liu, Sicong Zhou, Baisong Hu () and Shaofeng Zhang
Additional contact information
Penglong Zhu: School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China
Guoxiu Sun: Hebei Zetian Chemical Co., Ltd., Hengshui 053000, China
Ruimeng Liu: School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China
Sicong Zhou: School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China
Baisong Hu: School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China
Shaofeng Zhang: School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: Within the realm of industrial energy conservation, the optimization of heat exchanger performance is paramount for the augmentation of energy utilization efficiency. This investigation employs computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to elucidate the effects of an innovative DNA-Inspired Slotted Insert (DSI) on the convective heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics within heat exchange tubes. The study provides a thorough analysis of fully turbulent flow (Re = 6600–17,200), examining the effects of various DSI pitches, key lengths, and geometries. The findings reveal that the DSI instigates a three-dimensional spiral flow pattern, which is accompanied by an escalation in the Nusselt number (Nu) and friction factor (f) with increasing Reynolds numbers. An inverse relationship between Nu and both pitch and key length is observed; conversely, f exhibits a direct correlation with these parameters. The study identifies an optimal configuration characterized by a pitch of 10 mm and a key length of 1.5 mm, with square keys demonstrating superior heat transfer performance relative to other geometrical configurations. This research contributes significant design and application insights for double-helical inserts, which are pivotal for the enhancement of heat exchanger efficiency.

Keywords: numerical investigation; heat transfer enhancement; thermo-hydraulic performance (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
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/2/376/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/2/376/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:2:p:376-:d:1568851

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().