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Experimental Heat Transfer, Vol.26, No.4, 397-411, 2013
Pumping Power Minimization in Staggered Finned Circular and Elliptic-Tube Heat Exchangers in Turbulent Flow
An experimental study aimed at minimizing pumping power required to supply air through a finned tube bundle configuration is presented in this article. Results were obtained for the Reynolds number based on the smaller ellipse axis (RE2b) ranging from 2,650 to 10,600, i.e., in turbulent flow. In the turbulent regime, pressure drops are expected to vary with eccentricity. Experimental optimization results for finned circular and elliptic tubes show that pumping power can be minimized with respect to tube spacing and eccentricity. In comparison with values obtained for circular tubes, the optimal elliptical arrangements show pumping power reductions from 5% to 10%.