Stress analysis of heat exchange tube with inner and outer fins under convection heat transfer conditions

The heat exchange tube with inner and outer fins has been widely applied in industry in order to enhance the performance of heat exchangers. When it is used in high temperature environment, the security must be considered. A three-dimension model was established to simulate the thermal stress by software ANSYS. The results indicated that the main factor, which had effect on the stress and deformation, was temperature and the maximum stress occurred at the joint location between inner fins and tubes. The inner pressure distribution of tube could enhance the effect of stress. On the contrary, the outer could weaken the effect.