Investigation of thermal–hydraulic characteristics of cut-out type flying-wing fins

Abstract

The study investigates the potential of a cut-out structure to enhance the heat transfer and flow characteristics of fins in the flying-wing condenser for refrigerator. The proposed cut-out structure is designed to address the limitations of conventional methods for strengthening heat transfer accompanied by an increase in flow resistance. The introduction of a cut-out structure facilitates the flow of cooling air from the front part to the rear area of the fins, thereby enhancing the heat transfer efficiency for rear fins. Additionally, it minimizes the collision between the airflow and the fins, enabling the flying-wing fins to achieve augmented heat transfer and reduced flow resistance simultaneously. The findings of the study demonstrate that the heat exchange rate of the flying-wing fins is enhanced by 7% and the flow resistance is reduced by 20.8% following the integration of the cut-out. Concurrently, an augmentation in the cut-out height and length of the fins resulted in a concurrent decrease in both heat exchange rate and flow resistance. Furthermore, an analysis of the field synergy angle and local convective heat transfer coefficient (LCHTC) of the different cut-out type flying-wing fins reveals that the introduction of the cut-out leads to a significant enhancement in the synergy between the velocity field and the temperature field. Concurrently, the LCHTC exhibits a “high and low” distribution pattern within the fin channel, with the LCHTC on the right side being notably higher than that on the left side.