Shell-side distribution and the influence of inlet conditions in a model of a disc-and-doughnut heat exchanger

Measurements of wall pressure and of three orthogonal velocity components with their corresponding fluctuations are reported for two systems of alternating and equi-spaced doughnut and disc baffles axisymmetrically located in a water turbulent pipe flow, simulating the isothermal shell-side flow in shell and tube heat exchangers. The influence of inlet Reynolds number and of asymmetric inlet flow conditions was studied for two geometries. The velocity field was dominated by the pressure gradients and the flow around each individual baffle was influenced by the relative position of its neighboring baffles.