The Effect of Combined Flow and Temperature Maldistribution on Heat Exchangers: Characteristics of Deterioration Factor Ratio, Y

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wai Meng Chin
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Shape Index ◽  
Statistical Moments ◽  
Degradation Factor ◽  
Factor Ratio ◽  
Flow Maldistribution

The magnitude of thermal performance degradation factor Dc for a heat exchanger as a result of combining the flow and temperature maldistribution is shown to depend on the magnitude of the shape index, S, and the statistical moments of probability density function for the flow maldistribution. In this paper, the theoretical basis describing the translational behavior of Dc with respect to S, and the influence of the statistical moments on the deterioration factor ratio Y, are given. The analysis is performed on a discretized model of an arbitrary heat exchanger. The flow distribution profile is also discretized to reveal the influence of statistical moments on Dc. The numerical calculations reveal that the combined thermal degradation factor, Dc, is a simple summation of the thermal degradation factor due to flow maldistribution alone, D, and a translational factor, XT. The value of S depends on the distribution profiles of flow and temperature. Large values of S, i.e., greater than the number N of discretized elements of the heat exchanger, and low standard deviation and high skew of the flow distribution are desirable for good thermal performance, as these reduce the magnitude of Dc and increase Y. At large values of S, maldistribution can lead, not to degradation but to augmentation of thermal performance in the heat exchanger. A critical normalized standard deviation, σ′cr, is used to characterize the transition to heat transfer augmentation for a given magnitude of S > N and skew. For any imposed flow and temperature maldistribution profiles defined by their statistical moments, these results allow development of correlation equations with the shape index and statistical moments, and enable prediction of the deterioration factor ratio Y to aid in the design of heat exchangers.

Numerical simulation of flow distribution in the header of plate-fin heat exchanger

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (14n16) ◽  
pp. 2040111
Author(s):  
Shu-Ling Tian ◽  
Ying-Ying Shen ◽  
Yao Li ◽  
Hai-Bo Wang ◽  
Sheryar Muhammad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Optimization Design ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
Compact Structure ◽  
Flow Maldistribution

Plate-fin heat exchangers are widely used in industry at present due to their compact structure and high efficiency. However, there is a problem of flow maldistribution, resulting in poor performance of heat exchangers. The influence of the header configuration on fluid flow distribution is studied by using CFD software FLUENT. The numerical results show that the fluid flow inside the header is seriously uneven. The reliability of the numerical simulation is validated against the published results. They are found to be basically consistent within considerable error. The optimal number of the punch baffle is investigated. Various header configuration with different opening ratios have been studied under the same boundary conditions. The gross flow maldistribution parameter (S) is used to evaluate flow nonuniformity, and the flow maldistribution parameters of different schemes under different Reynolds numbers are listed and compared. The optimal header with minimum flow maldistribution parameter is obtained through the performance analysis of headers. It is found that the flow maldistribution of the improved header is significantly smaller compared with the conventional header. Hence, the efficiency of the heat exchanger is effectively enhanced. The conclusion provides a reference for the optimization design of plate-fin heat exchanger.

Steam Condensation in Parallel Channels of Plate Heat Exchangers

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prabhakara Rao Bobbili ◽  
Bengt Sunden
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Small Degree ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Steam Condensation ◽  
Cooling Fluid ◽  
Plate Heat ◽  
Parallel Channels ◽  
Flow Maldistribution

An experimental investigation has been carried out to find the nature of temperature profiles of the process and cooling fluids during steam condensation across the port to channel in plate heat exchangers (PHEs). In the present study, low corrugation angle (30°) plates have been used for different plate package of PHEs with 41 and 81 plates. The process steam entered at 1 bar with a small degree of superheat. Water has been used as the cold fluid. A traverse temperature probe is inserted into both inlet and outlet ports of the plate heat exchanger. The temperature of the process steam and cooling fluid have been measured and recorded at the location of first, middle and last channels for different inlet and exit flow conditions for each plate package of the heat exchanger. Also, the overall pressure drop has been measured at different conditions at the outlet of the process steam, i.e., full and partial condensation. The traverse temperature measurements have indicated that there is a considerable variation in temperature along inlets and outlets of process steam and cooling fluid, due to flow maldistribution. The experimental data has been analyzed to show how the flow distribution on the cooling side affects the condensation of steam in plate heat exchangers. The present results will help to study further the nature of steam condensation in parallel channels of heat exchangers.

Experimental and Theoretical Analysis of Transient Response of Plate Heat Exchangers in Presence of Nonuniform Flow Distribution

2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Srihari ◽  
Sarit K. Das
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Sudden Change ◽  
Temperature Response ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Transient Temperature ◽  
Nonuniform Flow ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Plate Heat ◽  
Flow Maldistribution

Transient analysis helps us to predict the behavior of heat exchangers subjected to various operational disturbances due to sudden change in temperature or flow rates of the working fluids. The present experimental analysis deals with the effect of flow distribution on the transient temperature response for U-type and Z-type plate heat exchangers. The experiments have been carried out with uniform and nonuniform flow distributions for various flow rates. The temperature responses are analyzed for various transient characteristics, such as initial delay and time constant. It is also possible to observe the steady state characteristics after the responses reach asymptotic values. The experimental observations indicate that the Z-type flow configuration is more strongly affected by flow maldistribution compared to the U-type in both transient and steady state regimes. The comparison of the experimental results with numerical solution indicates that it is necessary to treat the flow maldistribution separately from axial thermal dispersion during modeling of plate heat exchanger dynamics.

scholarly journals Execution of a Smart Prediction Tool to Evaluate Thermal Performance in a heat exchanger by using Single Elliptical Leaf Strips with altered Angle

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 123-131
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Generalized Regression Neural Network ◽  
Prediction Tool ◽  
Pressure Drops ◽  
Transfer Rates ◽  
Mass Flow Rates

Heat exchangers are prominent industrial applications where engineering science of heat transfer and Mass transfer occurs. It is a contrivance where transfer of energy occurs to get output in the form of energy transfer. This paper aims at finding a solution to improve the thermal performance in a heat exchanger by using passive method techniques. This experimental and numerical analysis deals with finding the temperature outlets of cold and hot fluid for different mass flow rates and also pressure drop in the tube and the annular side by adding an elliptical leaf strip in the pipe at various angles. The single elliptical leaf used in experiment has major to minor axes ratios as 2:1 and distance of 50 mm between two leaves are arranged at different angular orientations from 0 0 to 1800 with 100 intervals. Since it’s not possible to find the heat transfer rates and pressure drops at every orientation of elliptical leaf so a generalized regression neural network (GRNN) prediction tool is used to get outputs with given inputs to avoid experimentation. GRNN is a statistical method of determining the relationship between dependent and independent variables. The values obtained from experimentation and GRNN nearly had precise values to each other. This analysis is a small step in regard with encomiastic approach for enhancement in performance of heat exchangers

Design and Analysis of Micro Plastic Heat Exchanger

2012 ◽  
Vol 562-564 ◽  
pp. 1776-1779
Author(s):  
Yue Han ◽  
Heng Zhi Cai ◽  
Ya Jun Zhang ◽  
Da Ming Wu ◽  
Xin Liang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Mechanical Systems ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems ◽  
Micro Heat Exchanger ◽  
Simulation And Experiment ◽  
Energy Engineering

The heat exchanger is widely used in energy engineering, chemical engineering etc. And with development of the MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems), many researchers are interested in the micro heat exchanger. In this paper, the micro plastic heat exchangers are manufactured by modified PPS. A heat exchanger with polypropylene (PP) is also made for comparison. Simulation and experiment are carried out to determine the thermal performance of the micro plastic heat exchangers. The experimental results are compared with that of simulation. The results show the performance of the micro plastic heat exchanger is very close to that of metal heat exchanger with the same dimension.

Numerical Investigation on the Characteristic of the Reverse Flow Phenomenon in a Z-Type Parallel Compact Heat Exchanger With Large Number of Tubes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Zhou ◽  
Ming Ding ◽  
Haozhi Bian ◽  
Yinxing Zhang ◽  
Zhongning Sun
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Pressure Distribution ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Reverse Flow ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Flow Phenomenon ◽  
Compact Heat Exchangers ◽  
Geometry Design

The parallel compact heat exchangers have been widely applied in the various fields such as heat exchangers in chemical engineering, the solar collector, fuel cells and the passive removal heat exchanger in passive containment cooling system (PCCS), etc. The heat exchangers in the PCCS removes out the heat brought by the steam coming out from the broken reactor or primary cooling system. Therefore, the performance of the passive containment cooling system heat exchanger (PCCS HX) will greatly influence the safety and integrity of the containment. In previous investigations on the parallel compact heat exchangers, attentions are focused on the pressure distribution and flow distribution in the heat exchangers. A bad flow distribution in the heat exchanger will reduce the heat performance. More seriously, the coolant in some tubes may boils and the tubes will be overheated, resulting in explosion of tubes. Therefore, the characteristic of pressure distribution and the flow distribution should be investigated for a uniform flow distribution. In the past studies of the compact heat exchangers, the numbers of tube are almost under 72 which is relatively small, while the number of tubes PCCS HX is usually over than 100. And the pressure distribution in compact heat exchangers is assumed that the pressure recovery plays a leading role. However, the more numbers of tube will bring more flow maldistribution, if the geometry design is selected inappropriately. The reverse flow may occur in the heat exchanger, which means that in some tubes, the coolant flows from the tube outlet to the inlet. This phenomenon of reverse flow have never been mentioned in previous studies. The occurrence of the reverse flow will significantly decrease the performance of the heat exchanger and cause a bad influence on the safety of the containment. In the PCCS, the Z-type heat exchanger is one of the choice of PCCS HX (heat exchanger) design. Therefore, the present study focus on the characteristic of reverse flow phenomenon in Z-type heat exchangers. The pressure distribution and the flow distribution have been separately investigated deeply. The conclusion of this study will provide a guide to the geometry design of the PCCS HX with large number of tubes.

Performance Analysis of Multi-Pass Cross-Flow Heat Exchangers

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiran Lankalapalli ◽  
Ahmed ElSawy ◽  
Stephen Idem
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Performance Analysis ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Cross Flow ◽  
Threshold Value ◽  
Finned Tube ◽  
Flow Heat ◽  
Rate Ratios ◽  
Side Flow

A steady state sensible performance analysis of multi-pass cross-flow finned-tube heat exchangers is reported. The investigation considers various flow circuiting, such as counter cross-flow, parallel cross-flow, and cross-flow where the tube-side flow is in parallel. A previously developed matrix approach is used to evaluate the heat exchanger performance in each tube pass. The equations required to model the thermal performance of these configurations are presented, and the thermal performance is compared for each type of flow circuiting. Thereafter a parametric study on cross-flow heat exchanger performance is performed by varying physically significant parameters such as number of transfer units (NTU) and capacity rate ratios, and the graphical results for each type of flow circuiting are presented both for both two-pass and three-pass arrangements. A consistent criterion is proposed for each case, wherein increasing the NTU beyond a certain threshold value does not significantly improve heat exchanger thermal performance.

scholarly journals Analysis Exploring the Uniformity of Flow Distribution in Multi-Channels for the Application of Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanbing Ke ◽  
Yuansheng Lin ◽  
Zhiwu Ke ◽  
Qi Xiao ◽  
Zhiguo Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Electronic Device ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Sudden Change ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Outer Radius ◽  
Air Separation ◽  
Printed Circuit ◽  
Flow Maldistribution

The maldistribution of fluid flow through multi-channels is a critical issue encountered in many areas, such as multi-channel heat exchangers, electronic device cooling, refrigeration and cryogenic devices, air separation and the petrochemical industry. In this paper, the uniformity of flow distribution in a printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) is investigated. The flow distribution and resistance characteristics of a PCHE plate are studied with numerical models under different flow distribution cases. The results show that the sudden change in the angle of the fluid at the inlet of the channel can be greatly reduced by using a spreader plate with an equal inner and outer radius. The flow separation of the fluid at the inlet of the channel can also be weakened and the imbalance of flow distribution in the channel can be reduced. Therefore, the flow uniformity can be improved and the pressure loss between the inlet and outlet of PCHEs can be reduced. The flow maldistribution in each PCHE channel can be reduced to ± 0.2%, and the average flow maldistribution in all PCHE channels can be reduced to less than 5% when the number of manifolds reaches nine. The numerical simulation of fluid flow distribution can provide guidance for the subsequent research and the design and development of multi-channel heat exchangers. In summary, the symmetry of the fluid flow in multi-channels for PCHE was analyzed in this work. This work presents the frequently encountered problem of maldistribution of fluid flow in engineering, and the performance promotion leads to symmetrical aspects in both the structure and the physical process.

What is the Best Solution to Improve Thermal Performance of Storage Tanks With Immersed Heat Exchangers: Baffles or a Divided Tank?

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron D. Wade ◽  
Jane H. Davidson ◽  
Julia F. Haltiwanger
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Thermal Stratification ◽  
Storage Tanks ◽  
Stored Energy ◽  
Tubular Heat Exchanger ◽  
Energy Delivery ◽  
Potential Methods

Prior studies of indirect water storage tanks that employ an immersed heat exchanger to discharge the stored energy have identified two potential methods of improving the rate of energy extraction: 1) an internal baffle to increase the velocity across the heat exchanger, and 2) a divided storage compartment to achieve thermal stratification. Thermal performance of these two options is compared to that of a conventional cylindrical tank during transient discharge. Each tank has a storage volume of 350 liters and a 10 m long, 0.3 m2 coiled tubular heat exchanger. For the specific configurations evaluated, the baffled heat exchanger provides the highest energy delivery rates and heat exchanger outlet temperatures. An analytic model shows the advantage of the divided storage depends on the NTU of the immersed heat exchanger. The heat exchanger employed in the present study is too small to realize the potential benefit of a divided storage. Both options, if used in the appropriate system, can improve thermal performance as measured by the rate and quality of delivered energy. The baffle is most appropriate when storage-side natural convection is the largest thermal resistance of the heat exchanger. The divided tank is useful when the NTU of the heat exchanger exceeds three.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document