Numerical study of flow patterns of compact plate-fin heat exchangers and generation of design data for offset and wavy fins

Ismail, L. Sheik; Ranganayakulu, C.; Shah, R. K.

doi:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2009.03.026

Cited by 128 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…They proved that Colburn-j-factor increases 6-11.6 percent when pitch distance is 7.5-15 millimeter. Sheik Ismail et al [9] also investigated the effect of two types of baffle with different geometries on flow distribution in plate heat exchangers. They found that baffle with staggered arrangement has the highest effect on the uniformity of flow distribution pattern rather than rectangular one.…”

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confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Numerical Investigation of the Inlet Baffle, Header Geometry, and Triangular Fins Effects on Plate-Fin Heat Exchangers Performance

Salehi

Afshin

Farhanieh

2015

Heat Transfer Engineering

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In the present study, the optimal location of baffle in the header of air to air plate heat exchangers as well as the geometry of header and the effects of triangular fins arrays on the effectiveness were numerically investigated in different flow rates and Reynolds numbers on different models. The main purpose of inlet baffle and geometry changes is to improve the pattern of flow distribution and assist flow uniformity. The investigations show that the optimal location of inlet baffle in high Reynolds numbers has insignificant effect on effectiveness, while in Reynolds numbers 250-3000, the effectiveness is affected significantly by baffle location. On the other hand, the reduction in flow gradients by changes in geometry can improve flow distribution. Moreover, investigations show that the increase in fin density (fins/mm) up to a special value can enhance the effectiveness. In the present study, the Colburn-j-factor behavior versus different Reynolds number, velocity distributions, pressure drop and velocity vectors are examined.

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confidence: 99%

“…In the second part of the study conducted by Sheik Ismail et al [9], the effects of 16 different types of wavy and three types of offset fins on the effectiveness of plate-fin exchangers were investigated. They concluded that wavy fins have higher effect on the performance.…”

Section: Please Scroll Down For Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Investigation of the Inlet Baffle, Header Geometry, and Triangular Fins Effects on Plate-Fin Heat Exchangers Performance

Salehi

Afshin

Farhanieh

2015

Heat Transfer Engineering

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“…The numerical results indicate that the performance of fluid maldistribution in conventional entrance deteriorated, while the improved configuration, with a punched baffle, can effectively improve the performance in both radial and axial direction. Sheik et al [16] performed a numerical study of the flow patterns of compact plate-fin heat exchangers because air (gas) flow maldistribution in the headers affects the exchanger performance. Three typical compact plate-fin heat exchangers were analyzed using Fluent software for the quantification of the flow maldistribution effects with ideal and real cases in their study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis Exploring the Uniformity of Flow Distribution in Multi-Channels for the Application of Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers

Huang

Lin

et al. 2020

Symmetry

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The maldistribution of fluid flow through multi-channels is a critical issue encountered in many areas, such as multi-channel heat exchangers, electronic device cooling, refrigeration and cryogenic devices, air separation and the petrochemical industry. In this paper, the uniformity of flow distribution in a printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) is investigated. The flow distribution and resistance characteristics of a PCHE plate are studied with numerical models under different flow distribution cases. The results show that the sudden change in the angle of the fluid at the inlet of the channel can be greatly reduced by using a spreader plate with an equal inner and outer radius. The flow separation of the fluid at the inlet of the channel can also be weakened and the imbalance of flow distribution in the channel can be reduced. Therefore, the flow uniformity can be improved and the pressure loss between the inlet and outlet of PCHEs can be reduced. The flow maldistribution in each PCHE channel can be reduced to ± 0.2%, and the average flow maldistribution in all PCHE channels can be reduced to less than 5% when the number of manifolds reaches nine. The numerical simulation of fluid flow distribution can provide guidance for the subsequent research and the design and development of multi-channel heat exchangers. In summary, the symmetry of the fluid flow in multi-channels for PCHE was analyzed in this work. This work presents the frequently encountered problem of maldistribution of fluid flow in engineering, and the performance promotion leads to symmetrical aspects in both the structure and the physical process.

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“…Some researchers realized the defect of using a single drag coefficient to design the distributor, so the distributor is designed with a variation of drag coefficient over the plate, for example, the perforated plate can be designed with different hole sizes in different positions . Although improvements of flow uniformity were reported in the literatures, the optimization of the perforated plate was mostly based on the experience and no theoretical guideline was proposed for the adjustment of drag coefficient.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A CFD‐based design scheme for the perforated distributor with the control of radial flow

2020

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In the present study, flow homogenization by distributors in chemical apparatus is studied as a process of flow control and its mechanism is reconsidered from the model of resistance to the model of radial flow. This process is composed of four consecutive behaviors: the generation, distribution, conversion of the radial flow and the momentum transfer of axial flow. Based on these flow behaviors, the novel distributor is designed as the combination of perforated plate in the center area and vertical guiding baffles around. Taking the wire‐screen catalytic reactor as a case study, numerical simulation is employed to optimize the structure of distributor and a CFD‐based design scheme called “flow field analysis scheme” is proposed. Numerical simulation is conducted in the apparatus with a diffuser (inlet D0 = 500 mm, main part D1 = 3,000 mm) under the gas velocity of 3.6 m/s (corresponding Re ≈ 12,000). The numerical results from optimized distributor show that compared with the traditional perforated plate, the flow field adjusted by the novel distributor can achieve a better flow uniformity with lower energy consumption. The theoretical analysis and numerical results are also validated and proved by the experimental results.

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Numerical study of flow patterns of compact plate-fin heat exchangers and generation of design data for offset and wavy fins

Cited by 128 publications

References 15 publications

Numerical Investigation of the Inlet Baffle, Header Geometry, and Triangular Fins Effects on Plate-Fin Heat Exchangers Performance

Numerical Investigation of the Inlet Baffle, Header Geometry, and Triangular Fins Effects on Plate-Fin Heat Exchangers Performance

Analysis Exploring the Uniformity of Flow Distribution in Multi-Channels for the Application of Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers

A CFD‐based design scheme for the perforated distributor with the control of radial flow

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