ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL PLATE-FIN HEAT EXCHANGER DESIGNS
Mentor 1
Dr. Kevin J. Renken
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
5-4-2019 1:30 PM
End Date
5-4-2019 3:30 PM
Description
Heat exchangers are devices that transfer heat between two or more fluids (gases or liquids) without the fluids having to come in direct contact or being mixed together. The fluids are usually separated by a solid surface to prevent the mixing. Heat exchangers are widely found in most chemical, electrical, and mechanical systems to serve as a means of acquiring or rejecting heat. One of the more common types of heat exchangers are “plate-fin” heat exchangers. This type of heat exchanger uses thin plates and finned passages to transfer heat between fluids. Figure 1 provides a schematic of a common plate-fin heat exchanger.
Figure 1: Schematic of a plate-fin heat exchanger (Enggcyclopedia, 2011).
The UWM Energy Conversion Efficiency Lab (ECEL) is analyzing various fin designs to identify optimal-performance for commercial plate-fin heat exchangers. The analysis involves a comparison between numerical results obtained from simulations using ANSYS-Fluent software and experimental measurements. The physical and thermomechanical effects of the laminar fluid flow on the fin samples is documented. The performance indices of the fins are based on the thermo-hydraulic characteristics such as the convective heat transfer coefficient (h), pressure drop (Dp), wall temperature (Tw), friction factor (f), as well as the Colburn factor (j).
ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL PLATE-FIN HEAT EXCHANGER DESIGNS
Union Wisconsin Room
Heat exchangers are devices that transfer heat between two or more fluids (gases or liquids) without the fluids having to come in direct contact or being mixed together. The fluids are usually separated by a solid surface to prevent the mixing. Heat exchangers are widely found in most chemical, electrical, and mechanical systems to serve as a means of acquiring or rejecting heat. One of the more common types of heat exchangers are “plate-fin” heat exchangers. This type of heat exchanger uses thin plates and finned passages to transfer heat between fluids. Figure 1 provides a schematic of a common plate-fin heat exchanger.
Figure 1: Schematic of a plate-fin heat exchanger (Enggcyclopedia, 2011).
The UWM Energy Conversion Efficiency Lab (ECEL) is analyzing various fin designs to identify optimal-performance for commercial plate-fin heat exchangers. The analysis involves a comparison between numerical results obtained from simulations using ANSYS-Fluent software and experimental measurements. The physical and thermomechanical effects of the laminar fluid flow on the fin samples is documented. The performance indices of the fins are based on the thermo-hydraulic characteristics such as the convective heat transfer coefficient (h), pressure drop (Dp), wall temperature (Tw), friction factor (f), as well as the Colburn factor (j).
