Airflow resistance analysis of wire screens used in waste heat recovery systems

Abstract

Wire screens are widely used in electronics, refrigeration, insect screens, food processing, filtration, oil refinery, agricultural, and other applications. For instance, these wire screens are used as heat exchange materials in regenerators due to higher surface area density. Heat transmission can typically be enhanced by increasing the surface area density of wire screens, however flow obstruction is a possibility. As a result, this wire screen analysis is necessary not only to estimate the heat transfer rate but also to assess the airflow obstruction. This extensive study investigates the role of wire screens in a wind tunnel on the different velocities of air moving through them in order to compute the pressure drop. Six wire screens were examined as part of this investigation, and the experimental results were utilised to derive the coefficients of second order polynomials (a,b, and c). Permeability and inertial factor were calculated using this second order polynomial and Forchheimer's equations. Second-order polynomial equations were found to be the best fit for the permeability versus porosity ratio and the inertial factor versus porosity ratio.