Abstract
ABSTRACT Enhancing heat‐transfer efficiency in compact heat exchangers is essential for reducing energy consumption and improving overall system performance. This research investigates the behavior of an innovatively designed thermal and hydraulic energy promoter (EP), mounted on the inner wall of a circular tube, to improve heat transfer and minimize pressure loss. Water was used as the simulation fluid at Reynolds numbers between 4000 and 20,000, employing the Shear Tension Transmission k – ω perturbation model in ANSYS Fluent. The EP generates strong vortices that intensify the fluid mixing near the tube wall. Compared with a smooth tube, the Nusselt number increased by 1.9–3.4, while the coefficient of friction increased by 2.9–4.8. This further indicates an improvement in overall efficiency, exceeding the Performance Evaluation Criterion value of 1 in all cases (1.1–2.6). The promoter height of 1 mm achieved the best performance in terms of both increased heat transfer and reduced pressure. The flow analysis revealed the formation of secondary vortices and high‐kinetic‐energy regions, which are key optimization mechanisms. Compared with traditional passive methods, such as ribs and grooves, the proposed catalyst concept offers an effective solution for improving thermal performance without inducing excessive mechanical stress.