Evaluation of the heat transfer performance of helical coils of non-circular tubes

This study addresses heat transfer performance of various configurations of coiled non-circular tubes, e.g., in-plane spiral ducts, helical spiral ducts, and conical spiral ducts. The laminar flow of a Newtonian fluid in helical coils made of square cross section tubes is simulated using the computational fluid dynamic approach. The effects of tube Reynolds number, fluid Prandtl number, coil diameter, etc., are quantified and discussed. Both constant wall temperature and constant heat flux conditions are simulated. The effect of in-plane coil versus a cylindrical design of constant coil, as well as a conical coil design is discussed. Results are compared with those for a straight square tube of the same length as that used to form the coils. Advantages and limitations of using coiled tubes are discussed in light of the numerical results.