Performance of Evaporative Condensers

Experimental investigation is conducted to study the performance of evaporative condensers/coolers. The analysis includes development of correlations for the external heat transfer coefficient and the system efficiency. The evaporative condenser includes two finned-tube heat exchangers. The system is designed to allow for operation of a single condenser, two condensers in parallel, and two condensers in series. The analysis is performed as a function of the water-to-air mass flow rate ratio (L/G) and the steam temperature. Also, comparison is made between the performance of the evaporative condenser and same device as an air-cooled condenser. Analysis of the collected data shows that the system efficiency increases at lower L/G ratios and higher steam temperatures. The system efficiency for various configurations for the evaporative condenser varies between 97% and 99%. Lower efficiencies are obtained for the air-cooled condenser, with values between 88% and 92%. The highest efficiency is found for the two condensers in series, followed by two condensers in parallel and then the single condenser. The parallel condenser configuration can handle a larger amount of inlet steam and can provide the required system efficiency and degree of subcooling. The correlation for the system efficiency gives a simple tool for preliminary system design. The correlation developed for the external heat transfer coefficient is found to be consistent with the available literature data.     

WINGLET-TYPE VORTEX GENERATORS WITH COMMON-FLOW-UP CONFIGURATION FOR FIN-TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS

This investigation stems from the area of augmentation of heat transfer by generating streamwise longitudinal vortices. The vortex generators are arranged in a common-flow-up configuration. Existing air-cooled condensers in geothermal power plants use fin-tube heat exchangers with circular tubes. The heat exchangers are huge, and often the cost of the condensers is more than one-third of the plant cost. The size of the condensers can be reduced through enhancement of heat transfer from fin surfaces. The enhancement strategy involves introduction of strong swirling motion in the flow field. The swirl can be generated by the longitudinal vortices. In this study, the longitudinal vortices are created by delta winglet-type vortex generators, which are mounted behind the tubes. An element of a heat exchanger has been considered for detailed study of the flow structure and heat transfer analysis. Biswas and colleagues have obtained significant enhancement of heat transfer by deploying the winglet pair behind each tube. In this study, a novel technique (Torii and colleagues [2]) has been utilized for the enhancement. The winglets are placed with a heretofore unused orientation for the purpose of augmentation of heat transfer. This orientation is called the common-flow-up configuration. The proposed method causes significant separation delay, reduces form drag, and removes the zone of poor heat transfer from the near wake of the tubes. The analyses of flow and heat transfer in the proposed configuration have been accomplished through a numerical solution of complete Navier-Stokes and energy equations.     

不同管径组合的冷凝器换热数值研究

基于对传统空调用铜管翅片式冷凝器的研究分析，提出了一种新型的冷凝器形式，其迎风侧和背风侧采用不同直径的铜管和不同宽度的翅片，通过对两种形式的冷凝器的流动和换热进行的数值分析，新设计的冷凝器具有比传统冷凝器高的换热能力和低的空气流动阻力，适合于空调器的使用，而且该设计思路可以推广到空调用蒸发器的优化设计中。     

不锈钢螺纹管换热机理的探讨

从理论上对不锈钢螺纹管强化传热进行了分析,并以N-2200型和N-3500型凝汽器设计为基础,从水阻、泵耗、换热系数及真空值等方面,对不锈钢螺纹管与不锈钢光管、铜光管进行了计算比较,显示出：在以污染的淡水为冷却水的凝汽器冷却管材选择上,不锈钢螺纹管具有极好的推广价值。     

凝汽式汽轮机乏汽凝汽器传热强化的研究

在对高效换热元件横纹管的强化机理,传热与流体力学特性进行了实验研究与分析探讨的基础上,对装机容量１５００ｋＷ凝汽式汽轮机组的光滑管和横纹管凝汽器进行了工业应用的性能试验,并提出了横纹凝汽器的应用前景。     

A theoretical study of evaporative heat transfer in high‐velocity two‐phase flow of air–water in a small vertical tube

A theoretical study was performed to investigate the evaporative heat transfer of high‐velocity two‐phase flow of air–water in a small vertical tube under both heating conditions of constant wall temperature and constant heat flux. A simplified two‐phase flow boundary layer model was used to evaluate the evaporative heat transfer characteristics of the annular two‐phase flow. The analytical results show that the gravitational force, the gas–liquid surface tension force, and the inertial force are much smaller than the frictional force and hence can be neglected for a small tube. The evaporative heat transfer characteristics of the small tube with constant wall temperature are quite close to those of the small tube with constant heat flux. The mechanism of the heat transfer enhancement is the forced convective evaporation on the surface of the thin liquid film. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 32(5): 430–444, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.10110     

火电站直接空冷凝汽器积灰监测

火电站直接空冷凝汽器积灰是影响传热性能的重要因素,研究直接空冷凝汽器积灰对传热性能的影响规律并提出监测措施具有重要意义。通过分析汽轮机背压与汽轮机排汽量、冷却空气流量、凝汽器传热系数、凝汽器总传热面积以及环境温度之间的关系,得到了空冷凝汽器在维持汽轮机排汽量和冷却空气量不变时,汽轮机背压和传热系数之间的关系以及凝汽器积灰对汽轮机背压的影响。研究表明:凝汽器积灰会导致凝汽器传热系数降低,汽轮机背压升高,机组运行经济性下降。设计工况下,当蛇形翅片扁平管结构凝汽器积灰厚度达到1.2 mm时,汽轮机背压将增加50%左右。通过监测空冷机组运行过程中汽轮机背压的变化,可预报积灰的程度,为直接空冷凝汽器清洗提供一定的理论依据。     

The impact of fouling on performance evaluation of evaporative coolers and condensers

Fouling of evaporative cooler and condenser tubes is one of the most important factors affecting their thermal performance, which reduces effectiveness and heat transfer capability with time. In this paper, the experimental data on fouling reported in the literature are used to develop a fouling model for this class of heat exchangers. The model predicts the decrease in heat transfer rate with the growth of fouling. A detailed model of evaporative coolers and condensers, in conjunction with the fouling model, is used to study the effect of fouling on the thermal performance of these heat exchangers at different air inlet wet bulb temperatures. The results demonstrate that fouling of tubes reduces gains in performance resulting from decreasing values of air inlet wet bulb temperature. It is found that the maximum decrease in effectiveness due to fouling is about 55 and 78% for the evaporative coolers and condensers, respectively, investigated in this study. For the evaporative cooler, the value of process fluid outlet temperature T_p,out varies by 0.66% only at the clean condition for the ambient wet bulb temperatures considered. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A novel design for evaporative fluid coolers

In the present investigation a novel design algorithm is proposed for evaporative fluid coolers (EFCs) and closed circuit cooling towers. The principal of this study is to derive a relationship among heat transfer coefficients, pressure drops, heat transfer area, and mass transfer coefficient. Using maximum allowable pressure drops in this algorithm leads to minimize the required heat transfer area and a straight forward performance appraisal of EFC can be observed. It is revealed that the novel design algorithm can successfully predicts the design outputs given by the other researchers. In addition, the new algorithm is easily adaptable when heat transfer enhancement devices applied inside or outside of the tube bundle of EFCs.     

Conservation of energy estimated by second law analysis of a power-consuming process

A refrigeration system removing heat from a cold storage is analyzed to determine exergetic losses of the thermodynamic cycle and the power needed for the flows of the refrigerant and the media transferring heat at a specified temperature. How much the overall power consumption of the system can be decreased by lowering the condensing temperature, by either increasing the external heat transfer at the condenser or by lowering the inlet temperature of the heat exchanging media, is investigated. The latter depends on the relative humidity of the air. The performance of air, water and evaporative-cooled condensers are evaluated as a function of relative humidity of the ambient air. It is shown that the evaporative condenser operates at the lowest condensing temperature and, therefore, the least power consumption of the total system is achieved. Wetting the condenser with water requires only 1% of the overall power consumption but reduces the consumption by 30% as compared with the air-cooled condenser. Precooling the air by a water spray before it enters an air-cooled condenser is of benefit only at relative humidities of 65% or less. At other state conditions of the air, a higher power consumption will result. Lowering the temperature of the surroundings lowers P_rev and the second law efficiency must be properly defined so that, for cases of lowest power consumption, highest values of the efficiency will be obtained. Means for the design of least power-consuming air-conditioners are briefly stated, as well as the advantages of evaporative condensers for fog-free operation.     

Enhancement in Evaporative Effectiveness of an Evaporative Tubular Heat Dissipator Using Experimental Design Approach

An experimental investigation of evaporative effectiveness and mass transfer coefficient on a bundle of tubes of an evaporative tubular heat dissipator is presented. Based on the experiments, correlations of evaporative effectiveness and mass transfer coefficient are derived using multiple regression analysis. A statistical model is developed to correlate the operating variables using design of experiment approach by selecting central composite design of a response surface methodology. Results shown in this article indicate that as the cooling film flow rate increases, evaporative effectiveness and mass transfer coefficient increases provided that the air flow rate is constant which is flowing from underneath the tubes of the evaporative tubular heat dissipator. Derived correlations are helpful in improvement of the design of heat transfer devices and many other engineering applications. Consideration of relative humidity of upstreaming air as one of the operating variables leads to the contribution to heat and mass transfer study of evaporative tubular heat dissipators in the present investigation.     

CFD方法与间接蒸发冷却换热器的三维数值模拟

采用计算流体力学(CFD)和数值传热学方法,对间接蒸发冷却器内流体流动与热质交换过程进行简化和假设,建立了换热器内三维层流流动与传热的数学物理模型。采用交错网格离散化非线性控制方程组,编制了三维simple算法程序。对间接蒸发冷却器内的流场、温度场及浓度场进行数值模拟研究,得到换热器内的流体流动状态和热流分布,并分析了通道宽度变化对换热器内流体流动与换热的影响。     

A critical investigation into the heat and mass transfer analysis of counterflow wet-cooling towers

This study gives a detailed derivation of the heat and mass transfer equations of evaporative cooling in wet-cooling towers. The governing equations of the rigorous Poppe method of analysis are derived from first principles. The method of Poppe is well suited for the analysis of hybrid cooling towers as the state of the outlet air is accurately predicted. The governing equations of the Merkel method of analysis are subsequently derived after some simplifying assumptions are made. The equations of the effectiveness-NTU method applied to wet-cooling towers are also presented. The governing equations of the Poppe method are extended to give a more detailed representation of the Merkel number. The differences in the heat and mass transfer analyses and solution techniques of the Merkel and Poppe methods are described with the aid of enthalpy diagrams and psychrometric charts. The psychrometric chart is extended to accommodate air in the supersaturated state.     

三维内花瓣形螺旋肋管式油加热器强化传热的试验研究

简要介绍了一种新型的三维内花瓣形螺旋肋管式油加热器的强化传热机理、特点、试验研究情况及在某电厂系统中实际应用的效果。试验获得的传热及流阻关系式为设计使用单位提供了依据。     

翅片管结构特性及其对传热性能的影响

本文介绍了用于余热锅炉等传热部件的翅片管设计准则和翅片管结构型式和连接方法,分析了不同翅片管结构尺寸及型式对传热特性的影响,提出改善传热特性的途径。     

On the role of inserts in forced convection heat transfer augmentation

The role of inserts in internal forced convection has been widely acknowledged as a passive device in the heat transfer enhancement. The present study is aimed to empirically investigate the heat transfer enhancement in a tube fitted with a square-cut circular ring insert in the transitional and the fully turbulent flow regimes. By performing an in-depth analysis on the experimental data, the role of insert has been quantified by deriving a new non-dimensional group. This new non-dimensional group is proposed to characterize the effect of inserts on the heat transfer enhancement. While the findings show the incorporation of insert in the flow passage enhances the heat transfer rate, the characteristics of the flow in the transitional and the fully turbulent flow regimes induced by the effect of insert are distinct. The new non-dimensional group provides interesting insights into the role played by the insert. The physical significance of the non-dimensional number which provides a measure of the change of enthalpy relative to the change of flow energy in the flow direction can be used to explain the decrease of heat transfer augmentation in the turbulent flow regime relative to the transitional flow regime. Based on the analysis of the non-dimensional group, it can be deduced that the contribution of the axial pressure drop in the heat transfer augmentation is marginal albeit not negligible compared to the temperature rise in the characterization of the heat transfer augmentation with the incorporation of insert. The evaluation of heat transfer augmentation efficiency based on the rate of change of internal energy shows that the performance efficiency of an insert would be identical in different flow regimes, contradictory to the widely held axiom that the effect induced by the insert on the heat transfer augmentation diminishes in the turbulent flow regime.     

Effect of Cooling Water Flow Path on the Flow and Heat Transfer in a 660 MW Power Plant Condenser

The effect of the cooling water flow path on the flow and heat transfer in a double tube-pass condenser for a 660 MW power plant unit was numerically investigated based on a porous medium model. The results were used to analyze the streamline, velocity, air mass fraction and heat transfer coefficient distributions. The simulations indicate that the cooling water flow path is important in large condensers. For the original tube arrangement, the heat transfer with the lower-upper cooling water flow path is better than that with the upper-lower cooling water flow path. The reason is that the steam cannot flow into the internal of upper tube bundle and the air fractions are higher in the upper tube bundle with the upper-lower cooling water flow path. An improvement tube arrangement was developed for the upper-lower cooling water flow path which reduced the back pressure by 0.47 kPa compared to the original scheme. Thus, the results show that the tube arrangements should differ for different cooling water flow paths and the condenser heat transfer can be improved for the upper-lower cooling water flow path by modifying the tube arrangement.     

Experimental study on heat transfer enhancement of wavy finned flat tube with longitudinal vortex generators

The performance of direct air-cooled condensers in power plant is affected significantly by air-side flow and heat transfer characteristics of the wavy finned flat tube. Experimental investigations were conducted for air-side flow and heat transfer with and without delta winglet pairs punched on the surface of the wavy fin. The different temperature fields of the heated wavy fin surface with and without delta winglet pairs were obtained by the infrared thermography technology. Both experiments and numerical simulations showed that a substantial increase in the heat transfer with six delta winglet pair generators on the wavy fin was obtained with the Reynolds number varying from 1500 to 4500, which was the range of the air flow in practical direct air-cooled condensers. The average Nusselt number increased by 21–60% with the Reynolds number varying from 1500 to 4500 and the average friction factor increased by 13–83% with the Reynolds number varying from 500 to 4500 in experiments. The average performance evaluation criteria, PEC, can be up to 1.31 with six delta winglet pairs punched on the wavy fin surface, indicating the high potential of heat transfer enhancement to direct air-cooled condensers by longitudinal vortex generators.     

Heat transfer performance of a double-loop separate-type heat pipe: Measurement results

An experimental study is presented for the heat transfer performance of a rectangular double-loop natural circulation system, in which the condensers are made of double tubes with water-steam as the working fluid. Detailed temperature measurements of the core fluid and the wall are made, from which overall heat transfer coefficients for the evaporator, condensers, and entire system are obtained. Parametric studies of the liquid charge level, fluid properties, and heating or cooling conditions on the heat transfer performance are presented and correlation equations are given. The results show that the overall heat transfer coefficients for the evaporator, condensers, and entire loop are all increasing with decreasing liquid charge level. Overhead phenomena at low liquid charge level and thermal oscillation at some situations are also observed and discussed.     

Heat transfer enhancement accompanying pressure-loss reduction with winglet-type vortex generators for fin-tube heat exchangers

This paper proposes a novel technique that can augment heat transfer but nevertheless can reduce pressure-loss in a fin-tube heat exchanger with circular tubes in a relatively low Reynolds number flow, by deploying delta winglet-type vortex generators. The winglets are placed with a heretofore-unused orientation for the purpose of augmentation of heat transfer. This orientation is called as “common flow up” configuration. The proposed configuration causes significant separation delay, reduces form drag, and removes the zone of poor heat transfer from the near-wake of the tubes. This enhancement strategy has been successfully verified by experiments in the proposed configuration. In case of staggered tube banks, the heat transfer was augmented by 30% to 10%, and yet the pressure loss was reduced by 55% to 34% for the Reynolds number (based on two times channel height) ranging from 350 to 2100, when the present winglets were added. In case of in-line tube banks, these were found to be 20% to 10% augmentation, and 15% to 8% reduction, respectively.