HEAT-TRANSFER ENHANCEMENT - THE MATURING OF 2ND-GENERATION HEAT-TRANSFER TECHNOLOGY

This paper is basically the text of the Ken Lecture for 1991 (the 1990 Ken Award). The paper begins with some remarks about Dr. Kern. By, wa y of introduction to heat transfer enhancement, historical notes and t he evolution of literature in this area are presented. Comments are ma de about the increasing practical applications of enhancement technolo gy. Developments in single-phase convection are presented, with partic ular emphasis on offset strip fins and twisted-tape inserts. Pool boil ing and flow boiling (particularly microfin tubes) are then considered in some detail It is concluded that enhancement represents a powerful technology to improve heat exchanger performance.