Published Paper Details:

Heat transfer enhancement techniques play a vital role in improving the thermal performance and energy efficiency of heat exchangers used in industrial applications. Among passive enhancement methods, twisted tape inserts are widely recognized for their ability to induce swirl flow and increase turbulence intensity within the flow passage. This study presents an experimental and numerical investigation of heat transfer enhancement in a shell-and-tube heat exchanger equipped with twisted tape inserts. Experiments are conducted under steady-state conditions for varying Reynolds numbers to evaluate the thermal and hydraulic performance of the system. Key performance parameters such as the Nusselt number, heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop, and friction factor are experimentally measured and compared with a plain tube configuration. In parallel, a three-dimensional numerical model is developed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to simulate fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics inside the heat exchanger. The numerical results are validated against experimental data to ensure accuracy and reliability. The influence of twisted tape geometry on flow behavior, temperature distribution, and turbulence generation is analyzed in detail. Results demonstrate a significant enhancement in heat transfer performance with twisted tape inserts, accompanied by an increase in pressure drop. A comprehensive thermo-hydraulic performance evaluation is carried out to assess the overall effectiveness of the enhancement technique. The combined experimental and numerical findings confirm that twisted tape inserts offer a practical and efficient solution for improving heat exchanger performance in energy-intensive thermal systems.