Numerical Investigation of Gas Flow Distribution and Thermal Mixing in Helically Coiled Tube Bundle

In this study, we carried out the numerical simulation of gas flow across a helically coiled tube bundle, which is fitted in the annular space between a central spine and an outer casing. We focused on the effect of clearances at the inner and outer radial boundaries on the gas flow distribution and thermal mixing in the tube bundle. The conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy were numerically solved by computational fluid dynamics. It was demonstrated from the numerical simulation results that (i) the gas flow distribution in the tube bundle is very sensitive to clearances at the inner and outer radial boundaries, and even a very small variation of clearances would lead to a considerable change in the average velocity profile, which correspondingly leads to a great deviation of the gas flow distribution away from the original one; (ii) the clearance effect on thermal mixing is not as strong as that on gas flow distribution;(iii) the Reynolds number has little effect on the gas flow distribution and thermal mixing, the latter of which is in agreement with the results of Achenbach experiments.