A comprehensive review on single phase heat transfer enhancement techniques in heat exchanger applications

The objective of this paper is to review the different techniques, which have been used to enhance the heat transfer rate in heat exchanger devices such as solar air heater, cooling blades of turbine and so on using single phase heat transfer fluids. The results of recent published articles with the development of new technologies such as Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) and Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) are also included. Enhancement of heat transfer in heat exchanger can achieved by means of several techniques. These techniques are grouped into the active and passive method. In the active methods, system need some external power, however, passive method utilize surface modification either on heated surface or insertion of swirl devices in the flow field. Active methods are very complex because of external power supply, although these methods have great potential and can control thermally. Passive methods include artificial roughness, extended surface, winglets, insertion of swirl devices in the flow which alters the flow pattern causes to disturb the thermal boundary layer, and consequently high heat transfer. Passive methods are dominant over active methods because its can easily employed in existing heat exchangers. In this paper, an effort has been made to categorize the active and passive methods and review the various heat transfer techniques applied in heat exchangers. Important results have been listed for ready reference. It has been concluded that either active or passive methods have been employed alone. Based on literature, a combined method have also been recommended which include both active and passive methods.