Experimental and numerical study of fluid flow and heat transfer in a twisted square duct

Heat transfer and friction factor characteristics of air flow inside twisted square duct are studied experimentally and through three-dimensional numerical simulations. Experiments were conducted for air with uniform wall temperature boundary condition, twist ratio of 11.5 and 16.5, and Reynolds number 600-70,000. Laminar to turbulent flow transition point was identified. The results show considerable enhancement in heat transfer and pressure drop in both laminar and also in turbulent flow regimes till Reynolds number of 9500. Twist ratio of 11.5 shows relatively higher heat transfer and pressure drop compared to straight square duct. Three-dimensional analysis of steady fully-developed laminar flow inside twisted duct of square cross section flow area is carried out for Reynolds number range of 100-100,000 using commercially available software. The numerical study is conducted for a uniform wall temperature case, twist ratio of 2.5, 5, 10 and 20, for Prandtl number range of 0.7 to 20. The maximum value for product of friction factor and Reynolds number is observed for a twist ratio of 2.5 and a Reynolds number of 3000. The maximum Nusselt number is observed for the same values for Prandtl number of 20. Correlations for friction factor and Nusselt number are developed involving swirl parameter in the laminar flow regime. Correlations are also provided for the entire range of turbulent regime. Local distribution of friction factor ratio and Nusselt number across a cross-section is presented. Based on constant pumping power criteria, enhancement factor is defined to compare twisted ducts with straight ducts. Selections of twisted square duct are presented in terms of enhancement factor. It is found that twisted duct performs well in laminar and also to some extent in turbulent flow regime due to strong presence of secondary flow. It is recommended to use twisted square duct in laminar flow regime for entire range of Prandtl number studied. Maximum enhancements factor of 10.5 is obtained with twist ratio of 2.5, Prandtl number of 20 and Reynolds number of 3000. Guidelines are provided for selection of twisted square duct in terms of Reynolds number and Prandtl number. Comparison with twisted elliptic tube and twisted tape are discussed. These results would help in the design and development of compact heat exchanger.