Numerical Study of Fin-and-Tube Heat Exchanger in Low-Pressure Environment: Air-Side Heat Transfer and Frictional Performance, Entropy Generation Analysis, and Model Development

Heat transfer and frictional performance at the air-side is predominant for the application and optimization of finned tube heat exchangers. For aerospace engineering, the heat exchanger operates under negative pressure, whereas the general prediction models of convective heat transfer coefficient and pressure penalty for this scenario are rarely reported. In the current study, a numerical model is developed to determine the air-side heat transfer and frictional performance. The influence of air pressure (absolute pressure) is discussed in detail, and the entropy generation considering the effect of heat transfer and pressure drop are analyzed. Furthermore, prediction models of air-side thermal and frictional factors are also developed. The results indicate that both the convective heat transfer coefficient and pressure penalty decrease significantly with decreasing air pressure, and the air-side heat transfer coefficient is decreased by 64.6~73.3% at an air pressure of 25 kPa compared with normal environment pressure. The entropy generation by temperature difference accounts for the highest proportion of the total entropy generation. The prediction correlations of Colburn j-factor and friction factor f show satisfactory accuracy with the absolute mean deviations of 7.48% and 9.42%, respectively. This study can provide a reference for the practical application of fined tube heat exchangers under a negative pressure environment.