Performance evaluation of forced convective heat transfer across plate arrays

Performance evaluation was conducted for three types of plate arrays which were the two-dimensional models of different types of slit and louvered fins. Based on the empirical correlations obtained from naphthalene sublimation technique, evaluation was proceeded by using two constraints: identical pumping power, and identical pressure drop. With the array of uniform plate length and a fixed oblique angle as a reference, it is found that:(1) For uniform plate length with varying oblique angle, the best oblique angle under either identical pumping power or identical pressure drop is around 30 degrees; (2)For the nonuniform plate length situation, the case with plate length ratio of 2 may enhance heat transfer by 16% compared with the uniform plate length case under the identical pumping power constraint; and (3)For the convergent/divergent positioning category, in most cases, this kind of positioning can not provide enhancement of heat transfer.