Natural convection heat transfer coefficients for a rectangular array of eight tubes contained in a thin enclosure of aspect ratio 9.3:1 and inclined at 30 deg to the horizontal are measured for a range of transient operating modes typical of a load side heat exchanger in unpressurized integral collector-storage systems. Water is the working fluid, and thermal charging is accomplished via a constant heat flux on the upper boundary. All other boundaries are well insulated. Results for isothermal and stratified enclosures yield the following correlation for the overall Nusselt number: The flow field in the enclosure is inferred from measured temperature distributions. The temperature difference that drives natural convection is also determined. The results extend earlier work for the case of a single tube and provide limiting case heat transfer data for a tube bundle that occupies the upper portion of the collector storage.
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Natural Convection From a Tube Bundle in a Thin Inclined Enclosure
W. Liu,
W. Liu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
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J. H. Davidson, Fellow of ASME,,
e-mail: jhd@me.umn.edu.
J. H. Davidson, Fellow of ASME,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
Search for other works by this author on:
F. A. Kulacki, Fellow of ASME,
e-mail: kulacki@me.umn.edu.
F. A. Kulacki, Fellow of ASME,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
Search for other works by this author on:
W. Liu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
J. H. Davidson, Fellow of ASME,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
e-mail: jhd@me.umn.edu.
F. A. Kulacki, Fellow of ASME,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
e-mail: kulacki@me.umn.edu.
Contributed by the Solar Energy Division of THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS for publication in the ASME JOURNAL OF SOLAR ENERGY ENGINEERING. Manuscript received by the ASME Solar Energy Division, Jul. 2003, final revision, Nov. 2003. Associate Editor: M. Olszewski.
J. Sol. Energy Eng. May 2004, 126(2): 702-709 (8 pages)
Published Online: May 4, 2004
Article history
Received:
July 1, 2003
Revised:
November 1, 2003
Online:
May 4, 2004
Citation
Liu , W., Davidson, J. H., and Kulacki, F. A. (May 4, 2004). "Natural Convection From a Tube Bundle in a Thin Inclined Enclosure ." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. May 2004; 126(2): 702–709. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1677432
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