• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.570-579
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• 2017

In this study, we examined the multi-stage piston-type air compressors typically used in a railroad vehicle, and the heat transfer efficiency was analyzed according to the design conditions of the heat exchanger (a compressor component module for cooling the compressed high temperature air). For the fin-tube heat exchanger used in the most air compressors, numerical analysis was performed to analyze heat transfer by defining the various rectangle tube sizes and the number of fin-per-unit area as design variables under the same flow rate of compressed air. Also, this analysis compared the temperature of the compressed air. Regarding environmental conditions for analysis, the flow rate of the external cooling air was measured and the mean value of the values was applied. And a "turbulence model" was considered in both the external flow of the cooling air and the internal flow inside the tube. From the results of analysis, it was found that the change of the aspect ratio value of the tube greatly influences the heat transfer efficiency of the compressed air, and influences if the fin density is relatively small. As a result, the optimum design specifications of the heat exchanger for air compressors were confirmed based on the analysis of the heat transfer efficiency, according to the design conditions of fin and tube by the operating temperature range of the compressed air.