Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF THE BRAZILIAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING, cilt.47, sa.4, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
This study presents a comprehensive numerical assessment of a Y-shaped fractal heat exchanger (HE) for hydraulic and thermal performance. The fractal structure was designed like a hexagon in the outer part and as a square in the inner part, based on Murray's law. The primary branching was addressed as a trifurcation, whereas the secondary branching was addressed within the scope of fractal theory. The main idea was to enhance heat transfer while minimizing pressure drop. These results suggest that the proposed fractal heat exchanger could significantly improve efficiency in applications such as solar cells. Utilizing advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods, the heat exchanger was evaluated and optimized through a combination of theoretical principles, including Murray's law, and state-of-the-art simulation techniques. The design process focused on optimizing bifurcation angles and diameter ratios to improve fluid flow and heat transfer efficiency. The Bell-Delaware method and Effectiveness Thermal Resistance Method were employed to quantitatively evaluate the performance, introducing parameters such as entropy generation number and heat transfer coefficients. CFD simulations provided detailed evaluation of velocity profiles, turbulence intensity, pressure distributions, and thermal gradients within the heat exchanger. The results were further validated against experimental data, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the numerical models. The study also explored the impact of various geometrical parameters, such as fin shapes and tube arrangements, on performance metrics like Nusselt number and Reynolds number. The optimized fractal design demonstrated superior efficiency with 75% reduction in temperature variation, also achieving a significant 10% reduction in pressure drop in comparison with traditional design. An enhancement in heat transfer rates compared to traditional model was achieved. This integrated approach, combining numerical simulations with experimental validation, highlights the potential of fractal geometries in optimizing heat exchanger performance for diverse industrial applications, showing that the fractal HE is a superior viable alternative to traditional HE designs. The findings underscore the importance of multi-objective optimization, considering factors like thermal efficiency, pressure drop, and exergetic performance, to develop cost-effective and high-efficiency heat exchangers.