The effect of flow maldistribution on the evaluation of axial dispersion and thermal performance during the single-blow testing of plate heat exchangers

A single-blow transient test technique based on axial dispersion model is proposed for the determination of both heat transfer coefficient and axial dispersion coefficient in plate heat exchangers, characterized by NTU and dispersive Peclet number respectively. The present experimental analysis deals with the effect of flow maldistribution on the transient temperature response for U-type plate heat exchangers. The experiments are carried out with uniform and non-uniform flow distributions for various flow rates and two different numbers of plates. Special effort has been made to differentiate the deviation from plug flow due to flow maldistribution and fluid backmixing. The fluid axial dispersion is used to characterize the backmixing and other deviations from plug flow. Due to unequal distribution of the fluid, the velocity of the fluid varies from channel to channel and hence the heat transfer coefficient variations are also taken into consideration. The computed outlet fluid temperatures are compared with experimental outlet temperatures, and the values of dispersive Peclet numbers are estimated. The results indicate that in order to get parameters independent of the number of plate used in single-blow experiment, it is essential to isolate flow maldistribution from backmixing. This paper has brought out a practical way in which this isolation can be done in the process of data reduction through suitable computational model.     

An experimental and theoretical investigation into the hyperbolic nature of axial dispersion in packed beds

The concept of hyperbolic axial dispersion of heat in a flowing fluid which is known as `third sound wave' has been examined taking packed bed as an example. This technique analyse fluid flow and heat transfer by introducing an axial dispersion term in the one-dimensional energy equation to take care of flow maldistribution and backmixing. The present approach models this dispersion in terms of two parameters which are proposed to follow hyperbolic conduction law. A regenerator bed consisting of stainless steel wire mesh packing has been used to carry out experiments for the purpose of validating the concept. The analytical model presented uses a Laplace transform technique for the solution of simplified energy equation. The computed outlet fluid temperature is compared with experimental output and the two model parameters, dispersive Peclet number (Pe) and its propagation velocity (c<sup>*</sup>) are estimated. The present model, the parabolic (Fourier) dispersion model and the non-dispersive plug flow model are compared with the experimental result which brings out the closeness of the present proposition to reality compared to other models. A standard experimental technique is suggested which can be used for the measurement of parameters related to axial dispersion. The present study is the first experimental evidence of `third sound wave' in fluids and lays foundation of this proposition.     

The prediction of the combustion and heat transfer performance of a refinery heater

Predictions have been obtained for the flow, combustion, and heat transfer within a refinery process heater. The flow and combustion in the highly three-dimensional geometry are handled by a numerical solution technique and physical modeling which have an estab;ished two-dimensional predictive history. The radiation transfer is handled by the more recent and very flexible “discrete transfer” technique. Special grids and computational procedures are employed in the interests of computational economy, with the burner region and the main combustion chamber region being handled in separate subcodes. The predictions of the wall heat transfer distribution are compared with measurements and the agreement is remarkably good.     

Control optimization in experiments for the heat transfer assessment of saturated packed bed regenerators

Many studies about heat transfer characterization of single phase fixed bed matrix regenerators are devoted to the finding of experimental correlations. Despite several deep investigations, the emerged correlations are not well established, indeed the high complexity of the processes involved, the shape of the solid-fluid interface, the complexity of the geometry of the solid matrix, make accurate experimental data difficult to obtain.The aim of the present work pursuit a double objective: (i) to develop and propose an inverse method to identify h, the fluid-matrix heat transfer coefficient, by means of transient simulated experiments, and (ii) to investigate the sensitivity of the h reconstruction process to the variation of the control input parameters and material properties, in order to find the optimal value of the experimental control variables that allows the identification of this unknown coefficient to be performed with “minimum variance”.The reconstruction technique is applied to numerical experiments and it is based on the simulated measurements of oscillating temperatures of the fluid at the inlet and outlet of the regenerator. The identification of h is performed by means of an inverse search technique, driven by the difference between simulated measurements and calculated temperature time histories at the regenerator outlet.At first, experiments in different operating conditions are simulated in order to investigate the ability of the algorithm to identify the correct value of h and its uncertainty. Then a parametric study is performed and the optimal control frequency of the known (imposed) oscillating temperature signal at the inlet is found as a function of the mass flow rate, the geometry and other operating and thermophysical characteristics of the system.     

Augmenting Natural Convection in a Vertical Flow Path Through Transverse Vibrations of an Adiabatic Wall

Natural-convection enhancement methods may provide more efficient and effective, low-cost, reliable alternative cooling options for certain operating conditions. In this work, the introduction of locally applied oscillations is explored as a means of improving natural-convection cooling. A simple geometric system consisting of a vertically oriented flow path with one uniformly heated wall and one transversely oscillating, insulated wall is utilized. A finite-volume SIMPLER-based technique is developed to study the system in a transformed “fixed” domain. Analysis over a range of oscillation frequencies and displacements, flow channel length-to-width ratios, and heat rates allows for the examination of the characteristics of the resulting velocity and temperature fields under various operating conditions. The combination of the oscillations, the natural convection, the fluid inertia, and other flow drivers produced up to a 340% increase in the local heat transfer coefficient.     

Shaker-based heat and mass transfer in liquid metal cooled engine valves

The highly transient process of the working combustion engine generates a “shaker-effect” inside the hollow valve stem where liquid sodium carries the heat from the hot valve head to the valve stem. Here it can pass through the valve guide, based on convective heat transfer and thermal conduction. The efficiency of these transport mechanisms is still not clearly understood, since the design of many liquid cooled valves is mostly based on empirical knowledge and can lead under certain conditions to a breakdown of the system. A simulation of the processes during the movement of the valve including detailed insight into the highly transient and complex two-phase flow phenomena as well as the heat transfer has been realized by means of direct numerical simulation (DNS) based on the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method. The influence of several relevant influencing factors such as the geometry, the acceleration and the liquid fill level were studied. It was found that the fill level is one of the most influencing factors regarding the efficiency of the heat transfer whereas the influence of geometrical dimensions and in particular the aspect ratio of the cavity were almost negligible in our setup. By averaging the fluid flow and the temperature field it has been shown that liquid cooled valves are more efficient compared to a solid valve but clustering of the liquid filling can appear which causes a temporal breakdown of the “shaker-effect”. In addition the influence of the spatial resolution is shown and 2D vs. 3D simulation setups are compared. To our knowledge, no similar heat transfer predictions of the presented type are published in the literature.     

Comparison of performance of heat regenerators: Relation between heat transfer efficiency and pressure drop

Heat regenerators transfer heat from one gas to another, with an intermediate storage in solids. The heat transfer surface for gas flow application should provide at the same time high surface area and low friction factor. Three geometries of heat transfer surface, monolith, stack of woven screens and bed of spheres, have been compared. Their performance was evaluated from the pressure drop of the heat regenerator working at a given heat transfer efficiency. The comparison was performed using numerical simulation and published measurements of heat transfer and flow friction characteristics. By adjusting the length and the period of the exchanger, it is possible to obtain the same heat transfer efficiency with the three geometries. Beds of spheres give very short and compact heat regenerators, working at high pressure drop. At the opposite, monoliths form long regenerators working at low pressure drop. Stacks of woven screens cover a wide range of performance: low porosity woven screens give high heat transfer efficiency and high pressure drop, while high porosity woven screens offer performance similar to that of the monoliths. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Buoyancy effects in a solar regenerator

In laminar forced solar regenerator the temperature of absorbent solution is different from that of the air passing over it and on account of low velocities used buoyancy forces are always present. This paper deals with the theoretical investigations of first order deviation of heat and mass transfer rates due to the buoyancy effect. The governing equations have been solved by using the Runge-Kutta method. Analysis shows that the ratio of solution film velocity to air stream velocity is an important parameter that governs the performance of solar regenerators. It has been found that the effect of buoyancy is more on local heat transfer than on local mass transfer.     

Impact of delta winglet vortex generators on the performance of a novel fin-tube surfaces with two rows of tubes in different diameters

To achieve heat transfer enhancement and lower pressure loss penalty, even pressure loss reduction, two novel fin-tube surface with two rows of tubes in different diameters are presented in this paper. Numerical simulation results show that the fin-tube surface with first row tube in smaller size and second row tube in larger size can lead to an increase of heat transfer and decrease of pressure drop in comparison with the traditional fin-tube surface with two rows of tubes in the same size. Based on this understanding, delta winglet pairs are punched out only from the larger fin area around the first transverse row of tubes in smaller size in the novel fin-tube surfaces. Delta winglet pairs used as longitudinal vortex generator are arranged either in “common flow up” or “common flow down” configurations. Numerical simulation results show that delta winglet pairs can bring about a further heat transfer enhancement and pressure drop decrease through the careful arrangement of the location, size and attack angle of delta winglet pairs either in “common flow up” or “common flow down” configurations. The traditional knowledge of heat transfer enhancement with necessary pressure drop increase is challenged by the present conclusion. The present work will be helpful to develop more compact, higher heat transfer efficiency, lower fan power and quieter heat exchanger of refrigeration and air condition system.     

Two-Phase Flow and Boiling Heat Transfer in Small-Diameter Tubes

For the development of a high-performance heat exchanger using small channels or minichannels for air-conditioning systems, it is necessary to clarify the characteristics of vapor‐liquid two-phase flow and heat transfer of refrigerants in small-diameter tubes. In this keynote paper, the related research works that have already been performed by the author and coworkers are introduced. Based on the observations and experiments of R410A flowing in small-diameter circular and noncircular tubes with hydraulic diameter of about 1 mm, the characteristics of vapor‐liquid two-phase flow pattern and boiling heat transfer were clarified. In low quality or mass flux and low heat flux condition, in which the flow was mainly slug, the “liquid film conduction evaporation” heat transfer peculiar to small-diameter tubes prevailed and exhibited considerably good heat transfer compared to nucleate boiling and forced convection evaporation heat transfer. The effects of the tube cross-sectional shape and flow direction on the heat transfer primarily appeared in the region of the “liquid film conduction evaporation” heat transfer. A new heat transfer correlation considering all of three contributions has been developed for small circular tubes.     

Thermal compatibility of metallic pairs in sliding contact

This paper presents a theoretical model to predict the variation in heat removal during the dry sliding of metallic surfaces under variable thermal properties. It is shown that the temperature-induced change in the so-called “coefficient of heat penetration” is influential to the nature of heat dissipation at the interface. This change, termed as “the matching function”, is utilized to propose a criterion for the choice of “thermally compatible” materials for rubbing applications.     

Radiation and slip effects on MHD Maxwell nanofluid flow over an inclined surface with chemical reaction

The numerical solutions of the upper-convected Maxwell (UCM) nanofluid flow under the magnetic field effects over an inclined stretching sheet has been worked out. This model has the tendency to elaborate on the characteristics of “relaxation time” for the fluid flow. Special consideration has been given to the impact of nonlinear velocity slip, thermal radiation and heat generation. To study the heat transfer, the modified Fourier and Fick's laws are incorporated in the modeling process. The mass transfer phenomenon is investigated under the effects of chemical reaction, Brownian motion and thermophoresis. With the aid of the similarity transformations, the governing equations in the ordinary differential form are determined and then solved through the MATLAB's package “bvp4c” numerically. This study also brings into the spotlight such crucial physical parameters, which are inevitable for describing the flow and heat transfer behavior. This has been done through graphs and tables with as much precision and exactitude as is possible. The ascending values of the magnetic parameter, the Maxwell parameter and the angle of the inclined stretching sheet cause decay in the dimensionless velocity while an assisting behavior of the thermal and concentration buoyancy parameters is noticed.     

The forced air cooling heat dissipation performance of different battery pack bottom duct

Due to the requirement of the battery for the thermal management system, based on the coupling relationship between the velocity field and the thermal flow field of the field synergy principle, the flow paths of the forced air cooling system for different battery packs were analyzed. First, the thermodynamic parameters of the battery were collected through experiments and verified by simulation. Secondly, based on the collected thermodynamic parameters of the battery, the heat generation model of the battery, the heat conduction model of the gas, and the coupled heat dissipation model of the battery and air were established. Determine the boundary conditions, calculation methods and evaluation indicators required for simulation; Finally, based on four different driving conditions, the forced air cooling performance of the double “U” shape duct and double “1” type duct is simulated. Through the analysis of the results, the dual “U” air ducts have a more heat dissipation effect on the battery pack than the double “1” shape duct. The results conform to the definition of the field synergy principle for the coupling relationship between the velocity field and the heat flow field. Then research provide references for the design of battery packs and matching of cooling systems.     

Second law analysis of crossflow heat exchanger in the presence of axial dispersion in one fluid

In the present paper second law analysis of crossflow heat exchangers has been carried out in the presence of non-uniformity of flow. This non-uniformity is modeled with the help of axial dispersion model and takes into account the back mixing and flow maldistribution. An analytical model for exergy destruction has been evaluated for the cross-flow configuration. A wide range of study of the operating parameters and non-uniform flow on exergetic behavior of crossflow heat exchangers has been carried out. The results clearly bring out not only the reason behind the maximum entropy paradox in heat exchangers but also the proper perspective of exergy destruction and the consequent optimization of crossflow heat exchangers from the second law viewpoint.     

Analytical modelling of boiling phase change phenomenon in high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells during warm-up process

This paper investigates the thermal and water balance as well as the electro-kinetics during the warm-up process of a Hydrogen/Oxygen high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC) from room temperature up to the desired temperature of 180 °C. The heating strategy involves the extraction of constant current from the fuel cell, while an external heating source with a constant heat input rate is applied at the end plates of the cell simultaneously. A simple analytical unsteady model is derived addressing the boiling phase changing phenomenon in the cathode catalyst layer (CCL) and cathode gas diffusion layer (CGDL) of the cathode that occurs when the temperature of the fuel cell reaches the boiling temperature of water. Parameters such as the heat input rate, extracted current, cathode pressure and cathode stoichiometric flow ratio are varied and their effects on the temperature, liquid water fraction and most importantly, the voltage profiles with respect to time, are explored. A comparison between other existing heating strategies using the model suggests that there is insignificant improvement in warm-up time when current is extracted from room temperature considering a single cell. However, considering the solution for a typical 1-kW stack suggests that reductions in warm-up time and energy consumption can be expected. In addition, the results show that boiling phase change is found to be a key factor that affects the level of water saturation in the porous media such as the CCL and CGDL during the warm-up process, when current is extracted from the start of the process i.e. room temperature. However, the energy consumption due to boiling phase change is found to be negligible as compared to external heating input rate. The parametric studies show that the variation of heat input rate, extracted current and cathode pressure have significant effect on the cell voltage that is strongly dominated by the liquid water fraction in the porous media. On the other hand, the variation of cathode stoichiometric flow ratio is found to have minimal effect on the output cell voltage. The parametric studies also indicate that boiling phase change is present for a significant period of time under typical operating conditions.     

Study on flow and heat transfer characteristics of heat pipe with axial “Ω”-shaped microgrooves

A theoretical model of fluid flow and heat transfer in a heat pipe with axial “Ω”-shaped grooves has been conducted to study the maximum heat transport capability of these types of heat pipes. The influence of variations in the capillary radius, liquid–vapor interfacial shear stress and the contact angle are all considered and analyzed. The effect of vapor core and wick structure on the fluid flow characteristics and the effect of the heat load on the capillary radius at the evaporator end cap, as well as the effect of the wick structure on the heat transfer performance are all analyzed numerically and discussed. The axial distribution of the capillary radius, fluid pressure and mean velocity are obtained. In addition, the calculated maximum heat transport capability of the heat pipe at different working temperatures is compared with that obtained from a traditional capillary pressure balance model, in which the interfacial shear stress is neglected. The accuracy of the present model is verified by experimental data obtained in this paper.     

Numerical simulation model by volume averaging for the dissolution process of GaSb into InSb in a sandwich system

ABSTRACT

The volume-averaging continuum technique has been utilized to obtain numerical predictions for the transport phenomena occurring during the dissolution process of GaSb into InSb melt in a sandwich system. Dissolution and subsequent growth in this system are achieved by the application of a temperature gradient. The developed model was first verified for two test cases [(i) fluid/solid conjugate heat transfer and (ii) the solidification process of the binary system]. The code was then utilized to simulate the dissolution process of GaSb into InSb in the GaSb/InSb/GaSb sandwich system. The present results show that the developed volume-averaging model provides accurate predictions.     

Evaluation method for thermal processing of phosphoric acid with waste heat recovery

The conventional two-step thermal processing of phosphoric acid wastes enormous amounts of energy, which causes serious environmental pollution in addition to bad economic performance. A two-step waste heat recovery method using a “phosphorus burning boiler” was developed to reduce energy loss. This paper presents an exergy analysis model based on two new indicators for the “process driving force” and the “energy-saving potential” for a thermal process. Based on the model, an evaluation method was established to indicate the energy utilization ratio, the economic performance and environmental effects of the thermal process. The method was used to analyze retrofitting for the waste heat recovery for thermal processing of phosphoric acid. The results demonstrate that the retrofit is feasible. Furthermore, the analysis was used to present two additional energy-saving retrofits.     

Visualisation of heat transfer in 3D unsteady flows

Heat transfer in fluid flows traditionally is examined in terms of temperature field and heat-transfer coefficients at non-adiabatic walls. However, heat transfer may alternatively be considered as the transport of thermal energy by the total convective–conductive heat flux in a way analogous to the transport of fluid by the flow field. The paths followed by the total heat flux are the thermal counterpart to fluid trajectories and facilitate heat-transfer visualisation in a similar manner as flow visualisation. This has great potential for applications in which insight into the heat fluxes throughout the entire configuration is essential (e.g. cooling systems, heat exchangers). To date this concept has been restricted to 2D steady flows. The present study proposes its generalisation to 3D unsteady flows by representing heat transfer as the 3D unsteady motion of a virtual fluid subject to continuity. This unified ansatz enables heat-transfer visualisation with well-known geometrical methods from laminar-mixing studies. These methods lean on the property that continuity “organises” fluid trajectories into sets of coherent structures (“flow topology”) that geometrically determine the fluid transport. Decomposition of the flow topology into its constituent coherent structures visualises the transport routes and affords insight into the transport properties. Thermal trajectories form a thermal topology of essentially equivalent composition that can be visualised by the same methodology. This thermal topology is defined in both flow and solid regions and thus describes the heat transfer throughout the entire domain of interest. The heat-transfer visualisation is provided with a physical framework and demonstrated by way of representative examples.