Energy Efficient Polymers for Gas-Liquid Heat Exchangers

Author(s):  
Patrick Luckow ◽  
Avram Bar-Cohen ◽  
Peter Rodgers ◽  
Juan Cevallos

The present study explores the thermofluid characteristics of a seawater-methane heat exchanger that could be used in the liquefaction of natural gas on offshore platforms. The compression process generates large amounts of heat, usually dissipated via plate heat exchangers using seawater as a convenient cooling fluid. Such an application mandates the use of a corrosion resistant material. Metals such as titanium, expensive in terms of both energy and currency, are a common choice. The “total coefficient of performance,” or COPT, which incorporates the energy required to manufacture a heat exchanger along with the pumping power expended over the lifetime of the heat exchanger, is used to compare conventional metallic materials to thermally conductive polymers. The results reveal that heat exchangers fabricated of low energy, low thermal conductivity polymers can perform as well as, or better than, those fabricated of conventional materials, over the full lifecycle of the heat exchanger. Analysis of a prototypical seawater-methane heat exchanger, built from a thermally conductive polymer, suggests that a COPT nearly double that of aluminum, and more than ten times that of titanium, could be achieved.

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Luckow ◽  
Avram Bar-Cohen ◽  
Peter Rodgers ◽  
Juan Cevallos

The compression process necessary for the liquefaction of natural gas on offshore platforms generates large amounts of heat, usually dissipated via sea water cooled plate heat exchangers. To date, the corrosive nature of sea water has mandated the use of metals, such as titanium, as heat exchanger materials, which are costly in terms of life cycle energy expenditure. This study investigates the potential of a commercially available, thermally conductive polymer material, filled with carbon fibers to enhance thermal conductivity by an order of magnitude or more. The thermofluid characteristics of a prototype polymer seawater-methane heat exchanger that could be used in the liquefaction of natural gas on offshore platforms are evaluated based on the total coefficient of performance (COPT), which incorporates the energy required to manufacture a heat exchanger along with the pumping power expended over the lifetime of the heat exchanger, and compared with those of conventional heat exchangers made of metallic materials. The heat exchanger fabricated from a low energy, low thermal conductivity polymer is found to perform as well as, or better than, exchangers fabricated from conventional materials, over its full lifecycle. The analysis suggests that a COPT nearly double that of aluminum, and more than ten times that of titanium, could be achieved. Of the total lifetime energy use, 70% occurs in manufacturing for a thermally enhanced polymer heat exchanger compared with 97% and 85% for titanium and aluminum heat exchangers, respectively. The study demonstrates the potential of thermally enhanced polymer heat exchangers over conventional ones in terms of thermal performance and life cycle energy expenditure.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
L. S. Santana ◽  
J. Castro ◽  
L. M. Pereira

Vapor-compression refrigeration systems require a significant amount of electrical energy. Therefore, there is a need for finding efficient ways of operating this equipment, reducing their energy consumption. The use of heat exchangers between the suction line and the liquid line can produce a better performance of the thermodynamic cycle, as well as reduce it. The present work aims at an experimental analysis of the suction/liquid heat exchanger present in a freezer running with refrigerant fluid R-134a. Three different scenarios were used in order to evaluate the thermal performance of the refrigeration cycle. The first scenario was the conventional freezer set up to collect the required data for further comparison. Moreover, the second and third scenarios were introduced with a 20 cm and 40 cm suction/liquid heat exchanger, respectively, into the system. From the experiments, it was observed that the heat exchange does not significantly affect the coefficient of performance (COP) of the freezer. It was concluded from this work that the best scenario analyzed was the 20 cm suction/liquid heat exchanger where most of the thermodynamic properties were improved, one of them being the isentropic efficiency.


Author(s):  
Prabhakara Rao Bobbili ◽  
Bengt Sunden

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.


Author(s):  
Tianyi Gao ◽  
Bahgat Sammakia ◽  
James Geer ◽  
Milnes David ◽  
Roger Schmidt

Heat exchangers are key components that are commonly used in data center cooling systems. Rear door heat exchangers, in-row coolers, overhead coolers and fully contained cabinets are some examples of liquid and hybrid cooling systems used in data centers. A liquid to liquid heat exchanger is one of the main components of the Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU), which supplies chilled water to the heat exchangers mentioned above. Computer Room Air Conditioner (CRAC) units also consist of liquid to air cross flow heat exchangers. Optimizing the energy use and the reliability of IT equipment in data centers requires Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools that can accurately model data centers for both the steady state and dynamic operations. Typically, data centers operate in dynamic conditions due to workload allocations that change both spatially and temporally. Additional dynamic situations may also arise due to failures in the thermal management and electrical distribution systems. In the computational simulation, individual component models, such as transient heat exchanger models, are therefore needed. It is also important to develop simple, yet accurate, compact models for components, such as heat exchangers, to reduce the computational time without decreasing simulation accuracy. In this study, a method for modeling compact transient heat exchangers using CFD code is presented. The method describes an approach for installing thermal dynamic heat exchanger models in CFD codes. The transient effectiveness concept and model are used in the development of the methodology. Heat exchanger CFD compact models are developed and tested by comparing them with full thermal dynamic models, and also with experimental measurements. The transient responses of the CFD model are presented for step and ramp change in flow rates of the hot and cold fluids, as well as step, ramp, and exponential variation in the inlet temperature. Finally, some practical dynamic scenarios involving IBM buffer liquid to liquid heat exchanger, rear door heat exchanger, and CRAC unit, are parametrically modeled to test the developed methodology. It is shown that the compact heat exchanger model can be used to successfully predict dynamic scenarios in typical data centers.


Author(s):  
Brian K. Paul ◽  
Kijoon Lee ◽  
Hailei Wang

The objective of this study was to develop a strategy for miniaturizing heat exchangers used for the thermal management of sorbent beds within adsorption refrigeration systems. The thermal mass of the microchannel heat exchanger designed and fabricated in this study is compared with that of commercially available tube-and-fin heat exchangers. Efforts are made to quantify the overall effects of miniaturization on system coefficient of performance and specific cooling power. A thermal model for predicting the cycle time for desorption is developed and experiments are used to quantify the effect of the intensified heat exchanger on overall system performance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 177 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-192
Author(s):  
Joanna FABER ◽  
Zbigniew JURASZ ◽  
Krzysztof BRODZIK

Efforts to improve engine cooling efficiency by usage of heat exchanger as well as research on cooling fluids composition and properties are well described. Studies on heat exchangers are focused mainly on their durability properties, while cooling fluids development is lately concentrating on nanofluids. In this paper physicochemical properties changes of diluted glycol-based cooling fluid in a long-term durability test of vehicle heat exchanger, were investigated. Following parameters were measured: density of coolant, pH value, elements content in coolant, and reserve alkalinity. Above mentioned analyses were performed on samples collected both in the beginning and periodically after every 500 hours of durability test which lasted for 3000 hours in total. The performed study leads to conclusion that interaction of cooling fluid with material of heat exchanger and changes in glycol composition during long-lasting durability test allows to determine aging effect of applied glycol solution on heat exchanger wear.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Azwinur Azwinur ◽  
Zulkifli Zulkifli

Heat exchangers or heat exchangers are tools used to change the temperature of the fluid or change the fluid phase by exchanging heat with another fluid. In a heat exchanger, the ability to exchange heat is largely determined by the type of fluid flow and fluid passing through the heat exchanger. The use of heat exchangers in the field of drying is now a necessity to overcome the problems of drying productivity. The purpose of this study was carried out to determine the effectiveness of the heat exchanger experimentally based on directional flow by comparing construction using baffle and without using baffle in an effort to optimize the drying system. The research method was carried out by fabricating 2 units of heat exchangers and by field testing. The test data obtained are the input and output temperatures of the heating fluid flow and cooling fluid flow and flow velocity. Based on preliminary research data shows that the use of baffle affects the increase in temperature on the heat exchanger, where at the fresh air outlet that does not use baffle produces a temperature of 72oC while the baffle produces 88oC with the Log Mean Temperature Difference heat exchanger without using a baffle higher than heat exchanger that uses a baffle guide blade. This can illustrate that the smaller heat losses are wasted so that the absorption of heat by the reverse system will be higher.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 3204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Sánchez ◽  
Jesús Catalán-Gil ◽  
Ramón Cabello ◽  
Daniel Calleja-Anta ◽  
Rodrigo Llopis ◽  
...  

In the last century, the refrigerant R744 (carbon dioxide) has become an environmentally friendly solution in commercial refrigeration despite its particular issues related to the low critical temperature. The use of transcritical cycles in warm and hot countries reveals the necessity of adopting different configurations and technologies to improve this specific cycle. Among these, subcooling methods are well-known techniques to enhance the cooling capacity and the Coefficient of Performance (COP) of the cycle. In this work, an R600a dedicated mechanical subcooling system has been experimentally tested in an R744 transcritical system at different operating conditions. The results have been compared with those obtained using a suction-to-liquid heat exchanger (IHX) to determine the degree of improvement of the mechanical subcooling system. Using the experimental tests, a computational model has been developed and validated to predict the optimal subcooling degree and the cubic capacity of the mechanical subcooling compressor. Finally, the model has been used to analyze the effect of using different refrigerants in the mechanical subcooling unit finding that the hydrocarbon R290 and the HFC R152a are the most suitable fluids.


Author(s):  
Yaixa L. Rivera-Hernandex ◽  
Timothy A. Shedd

Significant advances have been made in compact liquid-liquid heat exchangers in the recent past, such as the brazed plate heat exchanger with enhanced plate geometries. However, additional improvements in heat exchanger performance may be realized by incorporating impinging jet flow rather than flow parallel to the heat exchange surface. It has been recognized for some time that highly efficient heat transfer over large areas can be attained using impinging jets with nearby drains, but no design model is available for this configuration. This paper presents a relatively simple theory for the heat transfer performance of jet-drain arrays based on the concept of transient heat transfer to the liquid. This theory is verified by comparison to experimental data. Next, the design and implementation of a liquid-liquid heat exchanger based on jet-drain arrays is presented and the performance of this novel device is directly compared with that of a brazed-plate heat exchanger. In addition, computational fluid dynamics simulations are used to design an enhanced impingement plate that virtually eliminates interactions between neighboring jets, further improving performance. Using the theory developed in this paper, very high performance compact liquid-liquid heat exchangers can be designed with relatively large orifices (approx. 1 mm), allowing for low pressure loss and the ability to pass a significant amount of solids through without clogging.


Author(s):  
Phil A. Cabanos

This paper describes the design implementation of the Intercooler System of the WR-21 Intercooled Recuperated Gas Turbine Engine (ICR). The Intercooler System extracts heat from the gas exiting the Intermediate Pressure Compressor (IPC) by means of on-engine, air-to-liquid heat exchangers. The heat transfer liquid is 50/50 ethylene glycol/water (EG). The heat is carried out of the engine by the EG to an off-engine EG-to-seawater heat exchanger. The seawater ultimately dumps the heat into the sea. The ICR is designed primarily for ship application where space is at a premium. Three design innovations that provide solutions to operational and emergency problems, resulting in a compact off-engine skid assembly will be introduced. 1. A system design that will handle pump shut downs and allow engine operation while the intercooler is isolated (bypass mode) — without putting the liquid system outside the enclosure under pressure. 2. A reservoir that is vented to atmosphere, that is only about 130 gallons in volume, that provides make-up and allows flow of 800–1000 US gpm (3000–3785 l/min) without causing turbulence in the reservoir. 3. A device that removes slugs of air trapped in the system during initial fill-up and continually deaerates the system.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document