LI Jie, HU Guolin, ZHU Yonghong, SUN Jian

(Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen 333001, Jiangxi, China)

Abstract: In order to investigate effects of fins on heat transfer characteristics of a tunnel kiln’s flue gas heat exchanger, fl ow fields and temperature fields in four exchangers under operative conditions are separately simulated using FLUENT-code, the related four exchangers being the exchanger without fins, and with one, two, or three fins. According to simulation results, compared with the exchanger without fins, the exchanger with one, two, or three fins increases the mass-weighted average temperature at the air outlet separately by 0.7 °C, 2.6 °C, and 3.7 °C, and increases the mechanical energy loss of the air flowing across the exchanger separately by 0.5 Pa, 3.1 Pa, and 5 Pa. After calculations, compared with the exchanger without fins, the exchanger with three fins increases the saved energy by an amount of 22.2 tons of standard coal a year. On the basis of the above data, a conclusion is drawn that the heat transfer characteristics of the tunnel kiln’s flue gas heat exchanger is apparently improved for use of the finned enhanced heat transfer technology.

Key words: a ceramic tunnel kiln’s flue gas heat exchanger; fins; enhanced heat transfer; numerical simulation of flow field and temperature field