Experimental investigation on heat recovery from diesel engine exhaust using finned shell and tube heat exchanger and thermal storage system

The exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine carries away about 30% of the heat of combustion. The energy available in the exit stream of many energy conversion devices goes as waste, if not utilized properly. The major technical constraint that prevents successful implementation of waste heat recovery is due to its intermittent and time mismatched demand and availability of energy. In the present work, a shell and finned tube heat exchanger integrated with an IC engine setup to extract heat from the exhaust gas and a thermal energy storage tank used to store the excess energy available is investigated in detail. A combined sensible and latent heat storage system is designed, fabricated and tested for thermal energy storage using cylindrical phase change material (PCM) capsules. The performance of the engine with and without heat exchanger is evaluated. It is found that nearly 10–15% of fuel power is stored as heat in the combined storage system, which is available at reasonably higher temperature for suitable application. The performance parameters pertaining to the heat exchanger and the storage tank such as amount of heat recovered, heat lost, charging rate, charging efficiency and percentage energy saved are evaluated and reported in this paper.     

A preliminary model for phase change thermal energy storage in a shell and tube heat exchanger

A preliminary model for estimating possible thermal energy storage in a phase change shell and tube heat exchanger is presented. Effect of various parameters such as thermal and physical properties of PCM and convective fluid, heat exchanger dimensions and heat transfer fluid flow rates both in laminar and turbulent regime on energy storage times are discussed. The model is illustrated for specific cases.     

管壳式换热器蓄热单元数值模拟与优化

相变材料导热系数低,导致相变蓄热装置无法快速地进行热量储存和释放,文中建立了翅片管和光管式相变蓄热单元的三维计算模型,采用数值模拟方法,从蓄热速率、蓄热量以及温度场等方面比较分析了翅片管和光管结构对储热性能的影响。结果表明:在光管外壁添加翅片可以缩短相变材料完全熔化以及整个蓄/放热过程所需时间;与采用光管结构相比,采用翅片换热管时,完全熔化时间缩短32%,完全放热时间缩短14.5%。可见,在一定条件下添加翅片有助于提高蓄热体的蓄放热性能,所得结论对实际工程中相变蓄热系统的设计和优化具有一定的参考价值。     

Experimental evaluation of commercial heat exchangers for use as PCM thermal storage systems

Phase change materials (PCM) possess a great capacity of accumulation of energy in their temperature of fusion thanks to the latent heat. These materials are used in applications where it is necessary to store energy due to the temporary phase shift between the offer and demand of thermal energy. Thus, possible applications are the solar systems as well as the recovery of residual heat for its posterior use in other processes. In spite of this great potential, the practical feasibility of latent heat storage with PCM is still limited, mainly due to a rather low thermal conductivity. This low conductivity implies small heat transfer coefficients and, consequently, thermal cycles are slow and not suitable for most of the potential applications.     

Numerical and experimental investigation of heat transfer in a shell and tube thermal energy storage system

A numerical and experimental investigation of phase change process dominated by heat conduction in a thermal storage unit is presented in this paper. The thermal energy storage involves a shell and tube arrangement where paraffin wax as phase change material (PCM) is filled in the shell. Water as heat transfer fluid (HTF) is passed inside the tube for both charging and discharging cycles. According to the conservation of energy, a simple numerical method called alternative iteration between thermal resistance and temperature has been developed for the analysis of heat transfer between the PCM and HTF during charging and discharging cycles. Experimental arrangement has been designed and built to examine the physical validity of the numerical results. Comparison between the numerical predictions and the experimental data shows a good agreement. A detailed parametric study is also carried out for various flow parameters and system dimensions such as different mass flow rates, inlet temperatures of HTF, tube thicknesses and radii. Numerical study reveals that the contribution of the inlet temperature of HTF has much influence than mass flow rate in terms of storage operating time and HTF outlet temperature. Tube radius is a more important parameter than thickness for better heat transfer between HTF and PCM.     

Experimental study on the heat transfer enhancement of MWNT-water nanofluid in a shell and tube heat exchanger

Heat transfer enhancement of multi-walled carbon natube(MWNT)/water nanofluid in a horizontal shell and tube heat exchanger has been studied experimentally. Carbon nanotubes were synthesized by the use of catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) method over Co–Mo/MgO nanocatalyst. Obtained MWNTs were purified using a three stage method. COOH functional groups were inserted for making the nanotubes hydrophilic and increasing the stability of the nanofluid. The results indicate that heat transfer enhances in the presence of multi-walled nanotubes in comparison with the base fluid.     

A combined experimental and computational study on the melting behavior of a medium temperature phase change storage material inside shell and tube heat exchanger

A combined experimental and numerical study is performed aiming to understand the role of buoyancy-driven convection during constrained melting of phase change materials (PCMs) inside a shell and tube heat exchanger. A series of experiments is conducted to investigate the effect of increasing the inlet temperature of the heat transfer fluid (HTF) on the charging process (melting) of the PCM. The computations are based on an iterative, finite-volume numerical procedure that incorporates a single-domain enthalpy formulation for simulation of the phase change phenomenon. It was observed from experimental results that the melting front appeared at different times at positions close to the HTF tube and progressing at different rates outwards towards the shell. The computational results show that by increasing the inlet water temperature to 80 °C, the total melting time is decreased to 37%.     

Finite element analysis of shell and tube heat exchanger

A finite element model to predict temperature distribution in heat exchangers is reported. The model can be effectively used to analyse and design the heat exchangers with complex flow arrangements for which no regular design procedure is available. Illustrations are provided to explain the application of the method for the analysis of shell and tube heat exchangers.     

Heat transfer of nanofluids in a shell and tube heat exchanger

Heat transfer characteristics of γ-Al₂O₃/water and TiO₂/water nanofluids were measured in a shell and tube heat exchanger under turbulent flow condition. The effects of Peclet number, volume concentration of suspended nanoparticles, and particle type on the heat characteristics were investigated. Based on the results, adding of naoparticles to the base fluid causes the significant enhancement of heat transfer characteristics. For both nanofluids, two different optimum nanoparticle concentrations exist. Comparison of the heat transfer behavior of two nanofluids indicates that at a certain Peclet number, heat transfer characteristics of TiO₂/water nanofluid at its optimum nanoparticle concentration are greater than those of γ-Al₂O₃/water nanofluid while γ-Al₂O₃/water nanofluid possesses better heat transfer behavior at higher nanoparticle concentrations.     

Thermodynamics of heat storage in a PCM shell-and-tube heat exchanger in parallel or in series with a heat engine

This paper addresses the thermodynamics of heat storage in a PCM shell-and-tube heat exchanger, which in a solar power plant is provided to damp the pulsed behaviour of the heat source. Unequal duration of the active and passive phases of the heat source, and consequently of the heat storage and discharge, is allowed. Two alternative schemes of connection of the storage element to the heat engine, referred to as the series and the parallel set-ups, are considered. Using the general framework developed in our previous work, we reformulate the second-law efficiencies for each scheme in terms of a few dimensionless parameters, reflecting the operating conditions of the system and the relevant heat-transfer characteristics of the storage element. For the particular storage system studied in this paper, i.e. the PCM shell-and-tube heat exchanger executing periodic storage-removal cycles, the latter characteristics are determined numerically. A parametric study is conducted to compare the series and parallel schemes with regard to various design objectives.     

Computation of thermal properties of CMSP shell and tube heat exchanger using different types of helical baffles

This paper investigates the flow and thermal properties of a combined multiple shell pass (CMSP)-shell and tube heat exchanger (STHE) with the provision of unilateral ladder-type helical baffle (ULHB) and continuous helical baffle (HB) in the outer shell pass of the heat exchanger. Two CMSP-STHEs with ULHB and HB, respectively, are compared with the traditional STHE having segmental baffles (SG-STHE) using the computational fluid dynamics method. The computational outcomes are validated with the empirical correlations of the Kern and Esso method. The Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes-based standard k–ω turbulence model accurately predicts the heat transfer (HT) rate and pressure drop. The computed results of HT rate, pressure drop, and logarithmic mean temperature difference corresponding to various mass flow rates (m) for three STHEs are presented. The results show that the overall HT rate of CMSP (ULHB)-STHE and the CMSP (HB)-STHE at the same mass flow rate are nearly 28.3% and 14.8% larger than that of traditional SG-STHE, respectively. Furthermore, the overall area-weighted average pressure drop (ΔP) of CMSP (HB)-STHE is smaller than that of SG-STHE by 26.5% at the same mass flow rate (m) and for CMSP (ULHB)-STHE it is larger by 2% than that of traditional STHE. Based on the above results, it is concluded that the CMSP (ULHB)-STHE is a suitable replacement for the conventional SG-STHEs.     

大型管壳式换热器数值模拟分析

以某硫酸厂大型管壳式乙二醇换热器为分析对象,采用CFD软件FLUENT对其整体结构进行数值模拟,得出了换热器整体流场和温度场特性,分析了关键区域折流板和特征换热管的温度分布,并与实际测量值作出对比。研究结果可为换热器的设计方法和换热器的故障分析手段提供参考。     

Experimental and numerical investigation of thermal characteristics of a novel concentric type tube heat exchanger with turbulators

In this study, the heat transfer performance and friction characteristics of a novel concentric tube heat exchanger with different pitches of helical turbulators were investigated experimentally and numerically for a Reynolds number range from 3000 to 14 000. An experimental system was established to obtain experimental data. The numerical simulations were performed by using a three dimensional numerical computation technique, a commercial CFD computer code. Then, the heat transfer performance and friction characteristics of several helical turbulators were compared. The experimental, numerical and empirical correlation results were in a good agreement with each others. As a result, the heat transfer enhancements using turbulators were 2.91, 2.41, 2.18 and 1.99 times better than the smooth tube for pitch distances of p = 20, 40, 60 and 80 mm, respectively. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental research on thermal characteristics of PCM thermal energy storage units

To explore thermal management integration in electric vehicles (EVs), a phase change materials (PCMs) thermal energy storage unit using flat tubes and corrugated fins is designed. The investigation focuses on the thermal characteristics of the PCM unit, such as the temperature variation, heat capacity, and heat transfer time, etc. Meanwhile, the heat storage and release process will be influenced by different inlet temperature, liquid flow rate, melting point of the PCM, and the combination order of the units. Under the same inlet temperature and flow rate condition, the PCM unit with higher melting point enters the latent heat storage stage slowly and enters the phase change melting release stage quickly. Furthermore, the heat storage and release rates increase with increasing liquid flow rates, but the effects are diminishing in the middle and later periods. The multiple PCM units with different melting temperatures are cascaded to help recycle low-grade heat energy with different temperature classes and exhibit well heat storage and release rates.     

Numerical and experimental study of a shell and tube heat exchanger for different baffles

In the present work, the shell and tube heat exchanger (STHX) is designed based on The Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association standards with hot fluid (water) flowing on the shell side and cold fluid on the tube side. A comparison is made between the Nusselt number and friction factor obtained from numerical and experimental results of segmental baffles (SBs) and helical baffles (HB) with different baffle inclinations. The results show that SB provided a higher Colburn factor (j_s) when compared with HBs STHXs (20°, 30°, 40°, and 50°), but shell side pressure drop is lower for 40° HBs STHXs for the same shell side fluid flow rates.     

Use of C-factor for monitoring of fouling in a shell and tube heat exchanger

Heat exchangers operating in process industries are fouled during operations and results in decrease in the thermal efficiency of a heat exchanger. Once the thermal efficiency decreases to a minimum acceptable level, cleaning of the equipment becomes necessary to restore the performance. This paper uses C-factor as a tool for investigation of the performance of a heat exchanger due to fouling which consequently gives information regarding the extent of fouling developed on the heat transfer surfaces. The fouling parameters are predicted by measurements of flow rate and pressure drop. In contrast to most conventional methods, the extent of fouling can be detected considering the flow rate and pressure drop when the heat exchanger operates in transient states. The C-Factor is first calculated through out cleaning period and then compared with the clean and the design value. The results show that the proposed tool is very effective in detecting the fouling developed and the corresponding degradation in heat transfer efficiency of a heat exchanger. Hence the results of this work can find applications in predicting the reduction in heat transfer efficiency due to fouling in heat exchangers that are in operation and assist the exchanger operators to plan cleaning schedules.     

Experimental performance evaluation of a novel heat exchanger for a solar hot water storage system

The performance of a novel heat exchanger unit (‘Solasyphon’) developed for a solar hot water storage system was experimentally investigated. The ‘Solasyphon’ is a simple ‘bolt-on’ heat exchange unit that can be integrated externally to a traditional single-coil hot water cylinder (HWC) avoiding the costly replacement of an existing HWC with a twin-coil HWC. The installation cost of a ‘Solasyphon’ is lower compared to a traditional HWC thus offers greater cost effectiveness. A data acquisition system was designed to compare the thermal performance of an integrated ‘Solasyphon’ HWC with a traditional twin-coil HWC under controlled simulated conditions. The analysis was based on experimental data collected under various operating conditions including different primary supply temperatures (solar simulated); primary supply patterns and draw off patterns. The results indicated that the ‘Solasyphon’ delivered solar heated water directly to the top of the HWC producing a stratified supply at a useable temperature. Under variable solar conditions the ‘Solasyphon’ would transfer the heat gained by a solar collector to a HWC more efficiently and quickly than a traditional HWC. The ‘Solasyphon’ system can reduce installation costs by 10–40% and has a lower embodied energy content due to less material replacement.     

Economic optimization of shell and tube heat exchanger based on constructal theory

In this paper, the new approach of constructal theory has been employed to design shell and tube heat exchangers. Constructal theory is a new method for optimal design in engineering applications. The purpose of this paper is optimization of shell and tube heat exchangers by reduction of total cost of the exchanger using the constructal theory. The total cost of the heat exchanger is the sum of operational costs and capital costs. The overall heat transfer coefficient of the shell and tube heat exchanger is increased by the use of constructal theory. Therefore, the capital cost required for making the heat transfer surface is reduced. Moreover, the operational energy costs involving pumping in order to overcome frictional pressure loss are minimized in this method. Genetic algorithm is used to optimize the objective function which is a mathematical model for the cost of the shell and tube heat exchanger and is based on constructal theory. The results of this research represent more than 50% reduction in costs of the heat exchanger.     

Experimental research on thermal characteristics of a hybrid thermocline heat storage system

Considering the high-temperature thermal utilization of solar energy as the research background in this paper and focussing on the heat storage process, a kind of hybrid thermocline heat storage method in multi-scale structure and relevant experimental systems are designed by using the mixed molten nitrate salt as the heat storage medium and two representative porous materials, i.e. zirconium ball and silicon carbide (SiC) foam, as the heat storage fillers. The fluid flow and heat storage performance of molten salt in multi-scale structure are experimentally investigated. The results show that the theoretical heat storage efficiencies amongst the three experimental heat storage manners are less than 80% because of the existence of thermocline layers. Comparing to the single-phase molten salt heat storage, the two hybrid thermocline heat storage manners with porous fillers lead to a certain decrease in the effective heat storage capacity. The presence of porous fillers can also help to maintain the molten salt fluid as ideal gravity flow or piston flow and partially replace expensive molten salt. Therefore, it requires a combination of heat storage capacity and economical consideration for optimization design when similar spherical particles or foam ceramics are employed as the porous fillers.     

管壳式蓄热装置的设计及蓄热单元三维数值模拟与优化

为弥补太阳能间歇性的缺点,设计了管壳式蓄热装置并建立了一个三维的、非稳态的、液态石蜡包含自然对流的相变蓄热装置模型,在该模型中取一个蓄热单元进行模拟研究。蓄热单元为圆柱体,内部放置石蜡,中心位置为传热管,热水通过传热管和传热管上的翅片对石蜡进行加热。对蓄热单元的蓄热过程进行了三维数值模拟,分别分析比较了有无自然对流条件,不同蓄热单元放置,以及增加内外翅片情况下蓄热单元的蓄放热性能,研究结果可为蓄能装置及集成系统的开发提供理论依据。