Numerical and Experimental Performance Analysis for Different Types of Heat Exchangers

Abstract

Heat exchangers are devices whose primary responsibility is to transfer heat, typically from one fluid to another. In such applications, the heat exchangers can be parallel flow, crossflow, or counter flow. An essential part of any heat exchanger analysis is the determination of the effectiveness of the heat exchanger. In the present work, three different types of heat exchangers are investigated. Numerical and experimental performance analyses are applied. The main objective of the present work is to compare the effectiveness of each heat exchanger at different conditions. Six experimental investigations for Plate, shell & tube, and fluidized bed heat exchangers are executed. All experimental tests are reached to steady-state conditions. The results show that the counter flow plate heat exchanger has an effectiveness of 90% compared with the parallel flow of 60% effectiveness for working experimental conditions. Also, the fouling effect in decreasing heat transfer is cleared. In the present work, fouling decreases effectiveness from about 18% to about 4%. In addition, the effectiveness of the fluidized bed heat exchanger depends on the material used for the bed. Finally, the overall heat transfer coefficient is obtained and compared for all experimental tests, and it is directly proportional to the effectiveness of the heat exchanger. The FEHT program is used to get the temperature distribution in all types of present work heat exchangers.