Analysis of Hydrothermal Flow and Performance of Heat Transfer in 3D Pipes Based on Varying Dimple Structure Configurations

Abstract

In the current work, the study examines the flow patterns and heat transfer capabilities of tubes with various spherical dimple configurations. A numerical analysis, supported by experimental validation on a reference model, was conducted on a circular tube with an alternating flow path. The primary goal was to enhance the thermal performance of circular tubes by inducing mixing and vortex flows. The impact of three design factors on thermal–hydraulic performance was investigated, dimple pipe diameter (DPD), dimple group number (DGN), and number of dimples (NODs). Dimpled tubes consistently outperformed smooth tubes in heat transfer due to increased flow mixing and separation. Both increasing the Reynolds number and decreasing the design factors led to the formation of mixing and vortex patterns. The performance evaluation factor (PEF) varied across different dimple configurations. For DPD, PEF ranged from 1.14 to 1.33; for DGN, it ranged from 1.15 to 1.28; for NOD, it ranged from 0.95 to 1.21, all within a Reynolds number range of 4000–15,000. At a Reynolds number of 6000, all three configurations of DPD, DGN, and NOD outperformed the smooth pipe in terms of the Nusselt number. For DPD, Nusselt number improvements ranged from 25.7% to 30.8%, and friction factors increased by 21% to 67%. DGN configurations exhibited a wider range of Nusselt number enhancement from 25% to 49.6%, and friction factor increase from 37% to 72%. NOD configurations also demonstrated consistent improvements, with Nusselt number increases ranging from 27.35% to 31% and friction factor increases from 42% to 74%. Spherical dimples can significantly enhance the thermal–hydraulic performance of tubes, so the best configuration depends on the specific application, and the highest performance, with a 1.33 increase in PEF, was achieved with a dimple diameter of 2 mm (DPD = 2 mm) and a dimple density of four dimples per unit area (NOD = 4).