4 E’s (Energy, Exergy, Economic, Environmental) performance analysis of air heat exchanger equipped with various twisted turbulator inserts utilizing ternary hybrid nanofluids

Abstract

Advancement in technologies needs a critical heat removal technique for better exergo-economic performance of compact air heat exchangers. The passive technique is used for heat transfer improvement with various turbulators inserts TTI, PTTI, and DTTI in plain tube air heat exchanger. This paper investigates the exergo-economic sustainable performance of heat exchanger devices assisted with water-based different tripartite hybrid nanofluids under various geometrical turbulator inserts modifications. Simulation is proceeded for tripartite hybrid nanofluids of mainly six various compositions based on the nanoparticles morphology variant and three different turbulators inserts at the core of plain tubes heat exchanger. The four E's (Exergy, Energy, Economic, and Environmental) aspects with sustainability analysis of the device are studied with operating parameters. Results revealed that only nanofluid would not be useful for energy enhancement, while turbulator inserts with THNF result in a significant improvement in the thermohydraulic performance of the device. The device inserts with DTTI in plain tubes using THNF 6 results in the highest26% overall heat transfer coefficient, 2.94% exergy efficiency, 5.04% performance index, and higher sustainability index at low Reynolds number, meanwhile turbulator inserts yield to highest 91.94% operating cost and equivalent CO2emissions. DTTI with THNF 6 is preferred as working fluid as PEC ranges highest 1.42–2.35, and THNF 2 working fluid should be least preferred due to its high operating cost. © 2021