Enhanced design of a conical coil heat exchanger: A comprehensive analysis of conical angle and fluid flow arrangements

This study presents a comprehensive numerical investigation into the thermo-hydraulic performance of a novel conical helical coil heat exchanger (CHCHE), utilizing ANSYS Fluent 2019 R2. The research was conducted in two parts: first, Improving the conical coil's geometry, and second, evaluating the impact of the shell-side fluid's inlet flow arrangement. The findings reveal that both geometric modification and flow configuration are highly effective in improving heat transfer. Increasing the conical angle to 10° resulted in a significant thermal performance improvement, with a peak thermal performance factor (η) of nearly 1.5, indicating a 50% gain over the 4° baseline model. This enhancement is attributed to the generation of stronger secondary flows that effectively disrupt the thermal boundary layer and increase fluid mixing. The study also demonstrated that the Horizontal Counter Flow arrangement consistently provided the best overall performance, achieving a thermal performance factor of approximately 1.135, which represents a 13.5% improvement compared to the Vertical Parallel Flow baseline. The superior performance of this configuration is due to its optimal combination of counter-flow heat exchange and the creation of highly effective swirling flows. In conclusion, this research provides a clear and data-driven guide for designing high-performance CHCHEs for various industrial applications.