Theses and Dissertations Collection

A test apparatus was designed and built to obtain heat transfer data of solar saltand other molten salts in the future, though future work will require the completion and operation of the apparatus to obtain molten salt results. Garimella’s equations typically over predicted heat transfer coefficients in comparison to CFD solutions, with an overall percent error of 296% in the range of 325oC ≤ Tin ≤ 505oC. Lower heat transfer coefficients were observed at higher temperatures due to decreasing viscosity and Prandtl numbers. Lower local heat transfer coefficients are observed in the flutes of the fluted tube, and are attributed to lower local velocities and differences between surface temperature and the average fluid temperature. Rapid hydrodynamic and thermal development in the fluted tube was observed when compared to predicted entrance lengths of a plain tube with an equal hydraulic diameter. Heat transfer enhancement at a length of 6 inches is 1.34, but is expected to be much larger at fully developed flow for both fluted and plain tubes.