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.