THERMAL SCIENCE

International Scientific Journal

Basma Bakir

,

Imane Aliouane

,

Younes Menni

,

Mustafa Bayram

,

Omolayo M. Ikumapayi

,

Abiodun Bayode

,

Tin Tin Ting

THE 3-D INVESTIGATION OF BAFFLE ROTATION EFFECTS ON HEAT TRANSFER PERFORMANCE IN COUNTERFLOW HEAT EXCHANGERS

ABSTRACT
This study numerically investigates the thermal and hydraulic performance of a 3-D counterflow heat exchanger equipped with internal baffles under laminar flow conditions. The finite element method is employed to simulate the effects of baffle rotation angle (θ = 0°, 30°, 45°, and 60°) and Reynolds number (Re = 500-2000). The heat exchanger consists of two adjacent rectangular channels separated by a thin aluminum wall, with hot and cold water flowing in opposite directions. Key performance indicators, velocity, pressure drop, temperature difference, ΔT, and thermal efficiency, are evaluated for both fluid streams. Results reveal that increasing the baffle rotation angle enhances thermal performance up to an optimal point (θ = 30°), beyond which further increases reduce heat transfer due to weaker flow disturbances. Conversely, pressure drop decreases steadily with higher baffle angles, with the lowest resistance observed at θ = 60°. The Reynolds number strongly affects both thermal and hydraulic behavior, with higher values resulting in lower ΔT and efficiency due to shorter residence times.
KEYWORDS
baffle, rotation, counterflow, laminar flow, efficiency
PAPER SUBMITTED: 2025-03-02
PAPER REVISED: 2025-05-11
PAPER ACCEPTED: 2025-06-13
PUBLISHED ONLINE: 2025-09-26
DOI REFERENCE: https://doi.org/10.2298/TSCI2504113B
CITATION EXPORT: view in browser or download as text file
THERMAL SCIENCE YEAR 2025, VOLUME 29, ISSUE Issue 4, PAGES [3113 - 3121]
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The 3-D investigation of baffle rotation effects on heat transfer performance in counterflow heat exchangers

2025 Society of Thermal Engineers of Serbia. Published by the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International licence