An experimental study of thermal performance of shell-and-coil heat exchangers

In the present study an experimental investigation of the mixed convection heat transfer in a coil-in-shell heat exchanger is reported for various Reynolds and Rayleigh numbers, various tube-to-coil diameter ratios and dimensionless coil pitch. The purpose of this article is to assess the influence of the tube diameter, coil pitch, shell-side and tube-side mass flow rate over the performance coefficient and modified effectiveness of vertical helical coiled tube heat exchangers. The calculations have been performed for the steady-state and the experiments were conducted for both laminar and turbulent flow inside coil. It was found that the mass flow rate of tube-side to shell-side ratio was effective on the axial temperature profiles of heat exchanger. The results also indicate that the ? − NTU relation of the mixed convection heat exchangers was the same as that of a pure counter-flow heat exchanger.     

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Heat Transfer of α-Al2O3/Water Nanofluid in Double Pipe and Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

This research presents an experimental and numerical study on the heat transfer of α-Al₂O₃/water nanofluid flowing through the double pipe and shell and tube heat exchangers, under laminar flow conditions. Effects of important parameters such as hot and cold volume flow rates, nanofluid temperature, and nanoparticles concentration on the heat transfer characteristics are investigated. The results indicated that the heat transfer performance of both double pipe and shell and tube heat exchangers increases with increasing the hot and cold volume flow rates, as well as the particle concentrations and nanofluid inlet temperature. Compared with pure water, the results indicated that the heat transfer coefficients of nanofluid in the double pipe and shell and tube heat exchangers are higher than those of water by 13.2% and 21.3%, respectively. Also, the heat transfer performance of nanofluid in a shell and tube heat exchanger is 26.2% higher than the double pipe heat exchanger. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique was used for heat transfer simulation in the previously mentioned heat exchangers. Computed overall heat transfer coefficients of the nanofluids are in good agreement with the experimental data.     

Heat transfer and friction in the offset stripfin heat exchanger

This paper presents analytical models to predict the heat transfer coefficient and the friction factor of the offset strip-fin heat exchanger surface geometry. Two flow regimes are defined—laminar and turbulent. Based on the conditions in the wake, an equation is developed to predict transition from laminar to turbulent flow. Flow visualization experiments were performed to identify the flow structure at transition. The condition predicted by the transition equation corresponds to onset of oscillating velocities in the fin wakes. Equations are developed for the Nusselt number and friction factor by writing energy and momentum balances on a unit cell of the offset strip-fin geometry. A numerical solution is used to calculate Nu and f on the fins in the laminar regime, and a semi-empirical approach is used for the turbulent regime. Predictions are compared to data on scaled-up geometries, taken in the present study, and data on actual heat exchangers. The models predict all data within ±20%.     

COHEX: a computer model for solving the thermal energy exchange in an ultra high temperature heat exchanger. Part A: computational theory

The paper reports the development of a computer program that solves the thermal energy exchange and pressure drop characteristics for bayonet-element heat exchangers. The prime motivation for the study was to aid the design of a heat exchanger for the externally-fired combined cycle (EFCC) energy generation process. The essential feature of this high-efficiency process is the ceramic bayonet-tube gas–gas heat exchanger for use with shell-side temperatures up to 1600°C. It is envisaged that similar heat exchangers can be designed for applications in the metallic extraction and production industries. The program, named COHEX (Composite Heat Exchanger), solves the basic governing equations of the exchanger. It makes use of a numerical iterative approach from an initial tube-side outlet temperature estimate to converge to a solution. For given inlet conditions, the program evaluates the heat transfer between the shell-side and tube-side streams and arrives at the outlet conditions. This two-part paper presents a computational solution method using accepted techniques for conduction, convection and radiation in the ceramic heat exchanger. Part A addresses the technological background of the EFCC application and the theoretical content of COHEX in terms of accuracy and sophistication of the code. The second part of this paper, part B, describes the experimental facilities used to gather data in order to validate the program output. A comparison of computed and experimental data is presented. The paper progresses to illustrate the effects of parameter variation on heat exchanger output.     

Analysis and Characterization of Metal Foam-Filled Double-Pipe Heat Exchangers

The effect of using metal foams in double-pipe heat exchangers is investigated in this work. The advantages and drawbacks of using metal foams in these types of heat exchanger are characterized and quantified. The analysis starts with an investigation of forced convection in metal foam-filled heat exchangers using the Brinkman-Forchheimer-extended Darcy model and the Local Thermal Equilibrium (LTE) energy model. An excellent agreement is displayed between the present results and established analytical results. The presented work enables one to establish the optimum conditions for the use of metal foam-filled double-pipe heat exchangers.     

Analysis of horizontal mantle heat exchangers in solar water heating systems

The characteristics of horizontal mantle heat exchangers are investigated for application in thermosyphon solar water heaters. An experimental model of a horizontal mantle heat exchanger was used to evaluate the flow patterns in the annular passageways and the heat transfer into the inner tank. Flow visualisation was used to investigate the flow structure, and the heat transfer was measured for isothermal inner tank conditions. A numerical model of the flow and heat transfer in the annular passageway was developed and used to evaluate the heat flux distribution over the surface of the inner tank. The numerical results indicate that configurations of mantle heat exchangers used in current solar water heater applications degrade thermal stratification in the inner tank. The effects of inlet flow rate, temperature and connecting port location are quantified.     

Convective heat transfer in foams under laminar flow in pipes and tube bundles

The present study reports experimental data and scaling analysis for forced convection of foams and microfoams in laminar flow in circular and rectangular tubes as well as in tube bundles. Foams and microfoams are pseudoplastic (shear thinning) two-phase fluids consisting of tightly packed bubbles with diameters ranging from tens of microns to a few millimeters. They have found applications in separation processes, soil remediation, oil recovery, water treatment, food processes, as well as in fire fighting and in heat exchangers. First, aqueous solutions of surfactant Tween 20 with different concentrations were used to generate microfoams with various porosity, bubble size distribution, and rheological behavior. These different microfoams were flowed in uniformly heated circular tubes of different diameter instrumented with thermocouples. A wide range of heat fluxes and flow rates were explored. Experimental data were compared with analytical and semi-empirical expressions derived and validated for single-phase power-law fluids. These correlations were extended to two-phase foams by defining the Reynolds number based on the effective viscosity and density of microfoams. However, the local Nusselt and Prandtl numbers were defined based on the specific heat and thermal conductivity of water. Indeed, the heated wall was continuously in contact with a film of water controlling convective heat transfer to the microfoams. Overall, good agreement between experimental results and model predictions was obtained for all experimental conditions considered. Finally, the same approach was shown to be also valid for experimental data reported in the literature for laminar forced convection of microfoams in rectangular minichannels and of macrofoams across aligned and staggered tube bundles with constant wall heat flux.     

Performance of Counterflow,Parallel Plate Heat Exchangers under Laminar Flow Conditions

Multilayered heat exchangers were analyzed theoretically and their heat transfer characteristics were clarified. The problem was treated as a two-dimensional, conjugated one with three phases-two fully developed laminar flows and the exchanger wall. From numerical results, the exchanger effectiveness was found to be definitely influenced by the following parameters: Graetz number, heat capacity flow rate ratio, dimensionless wall thickness, and conductance ratios between fluid and wall and between both fluids. Examination of mixed-mean temperature distributions in the exchanger showed that longitudinal wall conduction significantly reduces exchanger effectiveness in the low-Graetz-number region. Experimental results were in fairly good agreement with theoretical predictions.     

1MW塔式太阳能电站蓄热系统模拟分析

以1MW塔式太阳能电站蓄热系统为研究对象,通过理论分析,建立了管壳式换热器、热罐、冷罐以及蒸汽蓄热器的动态数学模型,经验证模型具有合理性.在此基础上对蓄热系统的充、放热过程进行了模拟计算,分析研究了换热器A和C的动态特性、冷热罐内油温的动态变化以及蒸汽蓄热器的充、放热特性.模拟结果为双级蓄热系统的过程控制提供了理论依据.     

Mantle heat exchangers for horizontal tank thermosyphon solar water heaters

This paper describes the characteristics of horizontal mantle heat exchangers for application in thermosyphon solar water heaters. A new correlation for heat transfer in horizontal mantle heat exchangers with bottom entry and exit ports was used to predict the overall heat transfer and stratification conditions in horizontal tanks with mantle heat exchangers. The model of a mantle heat exchanger tank was combined with the thermosyphon solar collector loop model in TRNSYS to develop a model of a thermosyphon solar water heater with collector loop heat exchanger. Predictions of stratification conditions in a horizontal mantle tank are compared with transient charging tests in a laboratory test rig. Predictions of daily energy gain in solar preheaters and in systems with in-tank auxiliary boosters are compared with extensive outdoor measurements and the model is found to give reliable results for both daily and long-term performance analysis.     

Analysis of coiled-tube heat exchangers to improve heat transfer rate with spirally corrugated wall

Steady heat transfer enhancement has been studied in helically coiled-tube heat exchangers. The outer side of the wall of the heat exchanger contains a helical corrugation which makes a helical rib on the inner side of the tube wall to induce additional swirling motion of fluid particles. Numerical calculations have been carried out to examine different geometrical parameters and the impact of flow and thermal boundary conditions for the heat transfer rate in laminar and transitional flow regimes. Calculated results have been compared to existing empirical formulas and experimental tests to investigate the validity of the numerical results in case of common helical tube heat exchanger and additionally results of the numerical computation of corrugated straight tubes for laminar and transition flow have been validated with experimental tests available in the literature. Comparison of the flow and temperature fields in case of common helical tube and the coil with spirally corrugated wall configuration are discussed. Heat exchanger coils with helically corrugated wall configuration show 80–100% increase for the inner side heat transfer rate due to the additionally developed swirling motion while the relative pressure drop is 10–600% larger compared to the common helically coiled heat exchangers. New empirical correlation has been proposed for the fully developed inner side heat transfer prediction in case of helically corrugated wall configuration.     

Perfluoropolyethers Coatings Design for Fouling Reduction on Heat Transfer Stainless-Steel Surfaces

The scope of this research is to obtain a film coating on stainless-steel surfaces in order to reduce the interaction between the metal surface and the precipitates, so as to mitigate fouling in heat exchangers. Perfuoropolyethers were used to obtain nano-range fluorinated layers in order to make hydrophobic the stainless-steel surfaces. A pilot plant with two identical heat exchangers was built to investigate the ability of the hydrophobic coating of preventing fouling. The heat exchangers, installed in parallel, operated at the same temperature and pressure conditions, namely, laminar flow regime and inlet flow temperatures of 291–293 K for cold streams and 313–333 K for hot streams. We compared the heat transfer performance of the two heat exchangers. After a 5-month operation, the decrease in the heat transferred was 56% for the coated heat exchanger and 62% for the uncoated heat exchanger. Moreover, the increase of heat transfer resistance due to scale on the uncoated heat exchanger, with respect to the coated one, was three times higher.     

Experimental evaluation of solar thermosyphons with heat exchangers

The advantages of solar thermosyphons in terms of simplicity, reliability and cost have long been recognized. Recent studies have also shown their thermal performance to be comparable with that of equivalent active systems. When pump power is considered, the energy savings of domestic hot water thermosyphons can be significantly superior to active systems. In spite of these advantages, use of solar thermosyphons in the United States is almost negligible compared to their widespread use in other countries. A major limitation to the use of thermosyphons in the United States is lack of effective, reliable freeze protection. One technique for reliable, passive freeze protection is to use a heat exchanger in the storage tank and a nonfreezing fluid in the collector. Previous analytical work indicates that the performance penalty for these systems with practical-sized heat exchangers may be small enough to make these systems economically feasible. A full-scale, residential-size test facility has been constructed for testing this concept and validating the theoretical models. This paper describes results of testing comparing the performance of a horizontal tank with and without heat exchanger to a baseline case of a vertical tank without heat exchanger. An analytical expression for a “heat exchanger penalty factor” for these systems is derived and compared with the experimental results.     

Experimental Investigation of Heat Transfer Characteristics and Cooling Performance of Mini‐ and Microheat Exchangers

This paper presents an experimental investigation of forced convection heat transfer in two heat sinks for electronic system cooling and investigated the comparisons of the thermal behavior of the mini‐ and microchannel heat exchangers. The hydraulic dimension of one of the heat sinks is 2 mm while that of the other is . Deionized water was used as the working fluid for studies conducted in both the heat exchangers. The effect of heat flux and volumetric flow rate (in laminar flow regime) on temperature and heat transfer coefficient is studied. Irrespective of the average heat transfer coefficient and the total thermal resistance, advantages and limitations of each device are analyzed and discussed in the light of experimental results. Furthermore, the results obtained from the experiments were in good agreement with those obtained from the design theory analyses.     

Thermal analysis on metal-foam filled heat exchangers. Part II: Tube heat exchangers

The forced convection heat transfer characteristics in high porosity open-cell metal-foam filled tube heat exchangers are analysed in this paper. The Brinkman-extended Darcy momentum model and two-equation heat transfer model for porous media are employed for the analysis of the heat transfer performance. The morphological effects of metal foams on overall heat transfer are examined. The optimal foam-area ratio for a metal-foam filled counter-flow tube-in-tube heat exchanger is predicted. The study shows that the thermal performance of a metal-foam heat exchanger can be superior to that of conventional finned tube heat exchangers.     

Experimental Determination of the Heat Transfer Coefficient of a Plate-Fin Heat Exchanger

Heat transfer in compact plate-fin heat exchangers is augmented by the introduction of complex fin patterns in the channels. Kays and London presented a lot of experimental data for several types of fin configurations, and many authors followed their example with other types of fins. For some fin types, the heat transfer correlation for the Nusselt number cannot be found in literature. Most of the data are given for large scale model fins in good controlled laboratory environments—little data is available for real heat exchangers.

A test rig was constructed at Ghent University to verify the performance of several fin types. Measurements were done on a real heat exchanger and not on a large scale model in order to determine the performance under real operational conditions.

The measurement setup consists of a hot water circuit and an air circuit with a fan. In the heat exchanger, 40 thermocouples are introduced on the air side and the wall. This way, the convection coefficient of the fins can be determined for a broad range of Reynolds numbers.

In the paper the measurement set-up is discussed and the measurements are presented. An in depth error analysis is performed on the measurements. This way a heat transfer correlation is provided with a tight error margin for compact plate-fin air coolers.     

Waste heat recovery using heat pipe heat exchanger for heating automobile using exhaust gas

The feasibility of using heat pipe heat exchangers for heating applying automotive exhaust gas is studied and the calculation method is developed. Practical heat pipe heat exchanger is set up for heating HS663, a large bus. Simple experiments are carried out to examine the performance of the heat exchanger. It is shown that the experimental results, which indicate the benefit of exhaust gas heating, are in good agreement with numerical results.     

熔盐单罐双盘管释热换热器布置方式优选

为了获得单罐内盘管换热器最佳的布置方式,利用数值计算的方法研究相同换热器面积不同盘管换热器布置方式对单罐蓄热系统释热性能的影响规律。结果表明,叉排双螺旋盘管换热器的释热性能优于单排盘管换热器,且内盘管高外盘管低（hi=90 mm,ho=174 mm）的布置方式换热器其释热功率、出口温度以及累计释热量最大。     

Hydrogen storage in metal hydride tanks equipped with metal foam heat exchanger

This paper presents a two-dimensional mathematical model to evaluate transient heat and mass transfer in a metal hydride tank (hereinafter MHT) with metal foam heat exchanger. The model is validated by comparison with experimental data. A good agreement is obtained.     

埋地换热器放热工况的现场运行实验研究

结合一地源热泵示范工程，建立了垂直竖井与地基桩单U型管埋地换热器联合使用的地源热泵系统的综合性能实验装置。通过对一个夏季长期间歇运行测试数据的分析，发现地下各个测点的温度上升幅度各不相同；桩埋管的热作用半径至少为2．5m，井埋管的热作用半径至少为2m；在相同的工况条件下，桩埋管的放热率大于井埋管。