Abstract
Turbulent heat transfer in a swinging tube with a serrated twist tape insert was experimentally examined to reveal the effects of swinging oscillations on heat transfer for such a swirl tube under sea-going conditions. This swirl tube swings about two orthogonal axes under single and compound rolling and pitching oscillations. A selection of Nusselt number (Nu) measurements illustrates the influences of swinging oscillations with and without buoyancy interaction on heat transfer performances. Single rolling or pitching oscillation with the swinging frequencies ranging from 0.333 to 1 Hz reduces heat transfer levels from the static references. Synergistic effects of compound rolling and pitching oscillations with either harmonic or non-harmonic rhythms improve heat transfer performances. Buoyancy effects in the swinging swirl tube elevate local Nu, but are weakened as the relative strength of swinging force increases. A set of heat transfer correlations is derived that permits the individual and interactive effects of single and compound swinging force effects with buoyancy interactions on the developed flow heat transfer value (over(Nu, -)) to be quantified. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.