Study of Height Influence of Heat Exchanger Tanks on Overall Pressure Drop

Abstract

In the context of a constant demand of more compact and efficient heat exchangers, the need for thoroughly researching the influence of the construction parameters impact on heat exchanger's performances arises. The purpose of the paper is to present the numerical results of such a research, carried out at RAAL S.A. with the support of "Politehnica" University of Timişoara. The research consists of assessing the effects of the geometric characteristics, the height in particular, of the inlet and outlet tanks of a water cooler on overall pressure drop, through Computational Fluid Dynamics. The structural complexity of heat exchangers demands that the analysis be divided into multiple, less complex models, in order to achieve accurate and truthful results within a reasonable amount of time and use of computational resources. The paper also focuses on developing a viable method for accomplishing numerical analyses on heat exchangers' parameters.