https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06539-y
Regular Article
Numerical investigation of heat transfer and flow resistance in tubes with flat plate, blunt edge, and airfoil turbulators
1
Member of Mechanical Engineering, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran
2
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
3
School of Engineering, Damghan University, P.O. Box: 3671641167, Damghan, Iran
a
yuan1ma@polyu.edu.hk
b
rasul_mohebbi@du.ac.ir
Received:
5
February
2025
Accepted:
7
June
2025
Published online:
26
June
2025
This study examines the effects of three turbulator designs—flat plate, blunt edge, and airfoil—on a tube’s heat transfer and flow resistance across a range of Reynolds numbers (3595–19,776). The performance of each turbulator was assessed through detailed analysis of velocity distributions at 33% and 66% of the blade length, cross-sectional velocity contours, Nusselt number (Nu), and friction factor (f). Results indicate that the flat plate turbulator produces the highest turbulence, resulting in maximum heat transfer and the greatest flow resistance. The blunt edge turbulator achieves a moderate balance, enhancing heat transfer with reduced turbulence compared to the flat plate. Meanwhile, the airfoil turbulator, with its streamlined profile, minimizes flow separation and disturbances, offering the lowest flow resistance but at the expense of heat transfer performance. This study underscores the trade-offs between heat transfer and flow resistance among the three turbulator designs, providing valuable insights for selecting the optimal turbulator based on specific application requirements.
Copyright comment Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
