Analysis of technical characteristics and application advantages of tube-fin heat exchangers
As a typical representative of enhanced heat transfer technology, tube-fin heat exchangers play an important role in energy engineering, HVAC and industrial equipment.
1. Functional Implementation Principles and Core Components
The tube-fin heat exchanger realizes non-contact heat exchange between media by extending the heat transfer interface. Its thermodynamic characteristics are characterized by the coupling of convection heat transfer and heat conduction. The core components follow the modular design principle:
①Heat transfer unit
The main channel for medium circulation is composed of high thermal conductivity metal tubes (copper/aluminum), and the tube diameter design must meet the requirements of fluid dynamics. By increasing the contact area of the tube wall, the heat transfer between the working medium (liquid/gas) in the tube and the ambient medium is realized.
②Fin reinforcement system
The extended surface is manufactured by stamping forming process, the fin thickness is usually 0.1-0.3mm, and the integral structure is formed with the heat transfer tube by high-frequency welding or mechanical expansion. The corrugated or windowed fin design can produce turbulent effect, which increases the heat transfer coefficient on the air side by 3-5 times.
③Structural support module
The frame system adopts weather-resistant alloy material, and the accuracy of tube spacing is ensured by multi-point positioning device. The guide device adopts aerodynamic curved surface design, which effectively reduces flow resistance by 15%-20%.
Plate-fin heat exchanger design
2. Comparison of Differentiated Technical Features
Compared with traditional heat exchange equipment, tube-fin heat exchangers have the following obvious advantages:
①Heat transfer efficiency dimension
Compared with shell and tube heat exchangers, the fin expansion increases the heat transfer area per unit volume by 8-12 times, and the overall heat transfer coefficient can reach 60-100 W/(m²·K) in the gas-liquid heat exchange scenario. Although the plate heat exchanger has a higher heat transfer coefficient (3000-7000 W/(m²·K)), it is subject to the limitation of medium compatibility.
②Space economy dimension
The compact design makes the volume power density reach 3-5 times that of traditional shell and tube equipment. Taking the automotive air conditioning system as an example, its mass power ratio can reach 1.2kW/kg, which reduces the load by more than 40% compared with the shell and tube system.
③Operation and maintenance dimension
Although the open structure has dust accumulation problems, the modular design supports online cleaning and maintenance. Compared with the blockage risk caused by the narrow flow channel of the plate heat exchanger, its maintenance cost is reduced by about 30%.
3.Analysis of Application Examples of Plate-fin Tubes
In the data center liquid cooling system, a multi-pass tube-fin heat exchanger is used in conjunction with ethylene glycol solution to achieve efficient recovery of chip waste heat. According to actual measurements, the system PUE value has dropped from 1.5 to 1.15, saving 2.8 million kWh of electricity annually. The thermal management system of new energy vehicles integrates a micro-tube-fin module, which increases the temperature control response speed of the battery pack by 50%, effectively alleviating the risk of thermal runaway.
Plate-fin heat exchangers have become the first choice for extreme working conditions and precision temperature control due to their ultra-high compactness and heat transfer efficiency. Despite maintenance challenges, their application in cutting-edge fields such as new energy and cryogenic engineering will continue to expand with breakthroughs in materials and manufacturing technologies.