Plate Heat Exchangers: Calculation Methods for Singleand Two-Phase Flow

Plate heat exchangers were first developed about 100 years ago but have won increasing interest during the last two decades, primarily due to the development of methods of manufacturing brazed plate heat exchangers. This type of heat exchanger offers very good heat transfer performance in single-phase flow as well as in evaporation and condensation. Part of the reason is the small hydraulic diameters, typically being less than 5 mm. Other advantages of plate heat exchangers are the extremely compact design and the efficient use of the construction material. In spite of their long use, the calculation methods for predicting heat transfer and pressure drop are not widely known. It is the purpose of this article to present such calculation methods for single-phase flow and for flow boiling and to discuss some of the specifics of this type of heat exchangers.     

Prediction of condensation characteristics of alternatives to R-502 inside air–refrigerant enhanced surface tubing

In this paper, an experimental study on the heat transfer characteristics of two-phase flow condensation of alternative azeotropic refrigerant mixtures to R-502, on air/refrigerant horizontal enhanced surface tubing, is presented. The condensation data indicated that the heat transfer coefficient on the blend R-408A has the highest heat transfer rate among the blends under investigation. The condensation data also showed that R-502 and R-407B have similar heat transfer rates when plotted against the refrigerant mass flow rate. It also can be observed that, as the mass flux increases, heat transfer coefficient increases. Correlations were proposed to predict the heat transfer characteristics such as average heat transfer coefficients, as well as pressure drops of alternatives to R-502; such as R507, R404A, R407B and R408A in two-phase flow condensation inside enhanced surface tubing. In addition, proposed correlations were found to fairly predict the two-phase flow heat transfer condensation data.     

Study of carbon dioxide condensation in chevron plate exchangers; heat transfer analysis

The experimental investigation of carbon dioxide condensation in brazed plate heat exchangers is the main objective of this study. The current level of concern for the environment is at an all time high, therefore, it is important to look into methods and resources that lead to a cleaner and healthier future for the planet. This study details one such effort to reach this goal, focusing on condensation of carbon dioxide as a natural refrigerant in refrigeration systems. Three brazed plate heat exchangers with different geometry, each consisting of three channels, are tested. This paper focuses on the two-phase analysis, where carbon dioxide was the working fluid, flowing through the middle channel, and dynalene brine, the cooling fluid, flowed through the side channels of each geometry. Condensation of carbon dioxide occurred at saturation temperatures ranging from ?17.8 °C to ?34.4 °C and heat fluxes spanning 2.5–15.7 kW/m². An in-depth dimensional analysis was completed on the two-phase data yielding heat transfer correlations. Relationships of the two-phase heat transfer characteristics are presented, the data are compared with related studies, and conclusions are made from the two-phase data.     

Non-adiabatic capillary tube flow: a homogeneous model and process description

This paper presents a homogeneous model of refrigerant flow through capillary tube–suction line heat exchangers, which are widely used in small vapour compression refrigeration systems. The homogeneous model is based on fundamental conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy. These equations are solved simultaneously through iterative process. Churchill’s correlation [3] is used to calculate single-phase friction factors and Lin et al. [6] correlation for two-phase friction factors. The single-phase heat transfer coefficient is calculated by Gnielinski’s equation [5] while two-phase flow heat transfer coefficient is assumed to be infinite. The model is validated with previous experimental and analytical results. The present model can be used in either design calculation (calculate the capillary tube length for given refrigerant mass flow rate) or simulation calculation (calculate the refrigerant mass flow rate for given capillary tube length). The simulation model is used to understand the refrigerant flow behaviour inside the non-adiabatic capillary tubes.     

Thermal analysis of plate condensers in presence of flow maldistribution

Flow maldistribution in plate heat exchangers causes deterioration of both thermal and hydraulic performance. The situation becomes more complicated for two-phase flows during condensation where uneven distribution of the liquid to the channels reduces heat transfer due to high liquid flooding. The present study evaluates the thermal performance of falling film plate condensers with flow maldistribution from port to channel considering the heat transfer coefficient inside the channels as a function of channel flow rate. A generalized mathematical model has been developed to investigate the effect of maldistribution on the thermal performance as well as the exit quality of vapor. A wide range of parametric study is presented, which shows the effects of the mass flow rate ratio of cold fluid and two-phase fluid, flow configuration, number of channels and correlation for the heat transfer coefficient. The analysis presented here also suggests an improved method for heat transfer data analysis for plate condensers.     

Thermal and flow characteristics of the condensation of R404A refrigerant in pipe minichannels

This article presents the results of experimental investigations of heat exchange and pressure drop during the condensation of R404A refrigerant in stainless steel pipe minichannels with internal diameters of 1.4–3.30 mm. A review is provided of the present state of knowledge concerning the condensation of this refrigerant in conventional channels and in small-diameter channels. It is emphasized that there are few prior publications concerning this issue. The test setup is described as well as the results of the experimental tests. We discuss the dependence of the heat transfer coefficient and the pressure drop of the R404A refrigerant on both minichannel diameter and process parameters. The pressure drop during the condensation of this refrigerant is satisfactorily described by the Friedel and Garimella correlations. Based on the experimental tests, we propose a new correlation for the calculation of the local heat transfer coefficient. The values calculated from this correlation were in agreement with the experimental results to within ±20%.     

Refrigerant Condensation Flow Regimes in Enhanced Tubes and Their Effect on Heat Transfer Coefficients and Pressure Drops

Flow regimes influence the heat and mass transfer processes during two-phase flow, implying that any statistically accurate and reliable prediction of heat transfer and pressure drop during flow condensation should be based on the analysis of the prevailing flow pattern. Many correlations for heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop during flow condensation completely ignored flow regime effects and treated flows as either annular or non-stratified flow or as stratified flow. This resulted in correlations of poor accuracy and limited validity and reliability. Current heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop, and void fraction models are based on the local flow pattern, though, resulting in deviations of around 20% from experimental data. There are, however, several inconsistencies and anomalies regarding these models, which are discussed in this paper. A generalized solution methodology for two-phase flow problems still remains an elusive goal, mainly because gas-liquid flow systems combine the complexities of turbulence with those of deformable vapor-liquid interfaces. The paper focuses on the state of the art in correlating flow condensation in micro-fin tubes and proposes flow regime-based correlations of heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop for refrigerant condensation in smooth, helical micro-fin, and herringbone micro-fin tubes.     

New proposed two-phase multiplier and evaporation heat transfer coefficient correlations for R134a flowing at low mass flux in a multiport minichannel

New correlations of the two-phase multiplier and heat transfer coefficient of R134a during evaporation in a multiport minichannel at low mass flux are proposed. The experimental results were obtained from a test using a counter-flow tube-in-tube heat exchanger with refrigerant flowing in the inner tube and hot water in the gap between the outer and inner tubes. Test section is composed of the extruded multiport aluminium inner tube with an internal hydraulic diameter of 1.2 mm and an acrylic outer tube with an internal hydraulic diameter of 25.4 mm. The experiments were performed at heat fluxes between 10 and 35 kW/m², and a refrigerant mass flux between 45 and 155 kg/(m² s). Some physical parameters that influenced the frictional pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient are examined and discussed in detail. The pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient results are also compared with existing correlations. Finally, new correlations for predicting the frictional pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient at low mass fluxes are proposed.     

Heat Transfer Correlations for Elongated Bubbly Flow in Flow Boiling Micro/Minichannels

An improved conventional-to-micro/minichannel criterion was proposed by using the Bond number and the liquid Reynolds number. In micro/minichannels, bubbles tend to be confined and elongated in the channel and the conventional two-phase flow theory loses its applicability. As significant disagreement in experimental trends and heat transfer mechanisms was reported for flow boiling in micro/minichannels in the literature, it is not possible to explain the discrepancy and predict all data points by a single correlation without considering the different flow patterns. In this study, heat transfer correlations for elongated bubbly flow in flow boiling micro/minichannels were developed based on a collected micro/minichannel heat transfer database. The newly developed correlations not only can present a decent overall accuracy, but also estimate the parametric trends correctly. More than 97% of the data points can be predicted by the proposed correlations within a ±50% error band for elongated bubbly flow. Also, a flow-pattern-based model can be developed by combining the developed elongated bubbly flow correlations with previous annular flow correlations for predicting flow boiling heat transfer in micro/minichannels.     

两相流超音速流动_激波及其应用研究

从两相流体的音速特点出发 ,研究两相超音速流动 ,分析超音速流动导致的激波状况 ,并利用两相激波加速凝结和增压的特点 ,设计了增压换热器。两相流的音速受其压缩性的影响而呈现出与单相流不同的特点 ,其较小的音速值使得两相超音速流动更易实现。两相流激波与波前马赫数密切相关 ,波后汽相凝结、压力升高 ,利用该特点设计的汽水直接接触式换热器 ,具有高效换热和增压的特点