Research PaperNumerical investigation of heat transfer and friction factor characteristics from in-line cam shaped tube bank in crossflow

•Thermal performance of cam shaped tubes in cross flow is studied numerically.•The study is carried out for Reynolds number range from 11,500 to 42,500.•Heat transfer rate is higher in cam shaped tubes as compared to circular tubes.•The friction factor in cam shaped tubes is 85% less as compared to circular tubes.

Tube bank heat exchangers are considered to be an effective device for heat transfer between two fluids. Researchers investigated various arrangements and along with different geometries of the tube, so as to improve the thermal performance of the tube bank. In the present study, the numerical investigation is carried out to determine the thermal performance of cam shaped tube. The study is performed for the heat transfer and friction factor characteristics in the Reynolds number range from 11,500 to 42,500. The result of the numerical simulation indicates the superior thermal performance of the cam shaped tube banks over the circular tubes. As the friction factor is reduced by 85-89% as compared to the circular tubes the heat transfer by friction factor (Nu/f) is increased by 5 times as compared to circular tubes. However, the efficiency of cam tubes with a pitch ratio of 1.5 is higher than that of the pitch ratio of 2.0. Further, the area goodness factor is also around 9 times higher than circular tubes.