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Recent Trends in Fluid Mechanics Review Article

Optimizing Heat Transfer Performance in CO2 Finned-Tube Gas Coolers: A Comparative CFD Study of Design Variations

  1. Dr. Ravishanker V. Choudri Sagar Institute of science and technology, Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal
  2. Rajendra Ahirwar Sagar Institute of science and technology, Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal
  3. Dr. Sanjay Kumar Singh Sagar Institute of science and technology, Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal

Abstract

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and mathematical analysis are used in this study to examine the heat transfer efficiency of CO2 fined tube gas coolers. To maximize heat transfer efficiency, CFD simulations were carried out on a variety of gas cooler designs with variable fin geometry, including offset strip fins, using the ANSYS Fluent program. Under the baseline design, there was a finned tube cooler measuring 610 mm in length, 50 mm in width, 0.13 mm in fin thickness, and 7.9 mm in outer tube diameter. The heat transfer rate for refrigerants varied from 1756.37 W for Design-1 to 2107.65 W for Design-4, according to simulation data. Attaining the maximum heat transfer rate, Design-4 outperformed the baseline by 20.29%. In Design-4, at a velocity of 1 m/s airflow, a temperature reduction of up to 65.8 K was measured across the finned surface. The study shows that because there were less temperature differentials, raising the airflow velocity from 1 m/s to 3 m/s usually reduced the heat transfer rate. Design-4 was the most efficient arrangement, with notable improvements in heat transfer efficiency and thermal performance. To assess the heat transfer efficiency of CO₂ finned tube gas coolers, we conducted a comparative CFD analysis in this work. We pay particular attention to the consequences of different design modifications. The goal of the research is to determine the best possible design arrangements that maximize heat transfer rates while lowering pressure drop and energy usage.

Keywords

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