Transient behavior of a plate-fin-and-tube heat exchanger taking into account different heat transfer coefficients on the individual tube rows

Experimental studies of multi-row plate-fin heat exchangers show that the highest average heat transfer coefficient on the air side occurs in the first row of tubes when the air velocity in front of the exchanger is less than approximately 3.5 m/s. In the subsequent rows of tubes up to about the fourth row the heat transfer coefficient decreases. In the fifth and further rows, it can be assumed that the heat transfer coefficient is equal in each tube row. It is necessary to find the relationships for the air-side Nusselt number on each tube row to design a plate-fin and tube heat exchanger (PFTHE) with the appropriate number of tube rows. The air-side Nusselt number correlations can be determined experimentally or by CFD modeling (Computational and Fluid Dynamics). The paper presents a new mathematical model of the transient operation of PFTHE, considering that the Nusselt numbers on the air side of individual tube rows are different. The heat transfer coefficient on an analyzed tube row was determined from the equality condition of mass- average air temperature differences on a given tube row determined using the analytical formula and CFD modeling. The results of numerical modeling were compared with the results of the experiments.