Abstract: A methodology combining theoretical design, local CFD validation, and comprehensive evaluation was developed for large gas-turbine inlet deep-cooling heat exchangers. Four configurations were compared: staggered bare tubes, in-line circular finned tubes, staggered circular finned tubes, and staggered finned elliptical tubes. The initial dimensions were determined using the LMTD method and a distributed-parameter model to cool air from 40℃ to 15℃. Local CFD simulations were performed in four axial sections and four representative cross-sectional regions, and the overall outlet temperature and pressure drop were reconstructed by area-weighted averaging.The CFD outlet temperatures deviated from the theoretical values by−8.41%, 7.24%, 2.08%, and 10.66%, respectively. The in-line finned-tube configuration had the lowest pressure drop of 152.6 Pa. The staggered finned elliptical-tube configuration achieved the smallest volume of 221.2 m³, the highest Q/V of 7.46×10⁴W·m^-3, and a Q/ΔP of 1.03×10⁵W·Pa-1, only 5.6% lower than that of the in-line configuration. Overall, this configuration provided the best balance among heat-transfer performance, compactness, and flow resistance.