Steady-State and Transient Investigation of the Primary Surface Recuperator for Microturbines

The aim of this work is to study numerically and experimentally the thermal performance of the primary surface recuperator (PSR) operating under steady and transient conditions. Numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the heat transfer characteristics in the corrugated passages of the primary surface recuperator. The effects of velocity, intersection angle, and pitch-to-height ratio are considered. Numerical simulation of the transient behavior of the PSR is performed as its mass flow rate or hot inlet temperature is subject to a sudden change, which is based on the conservation theorem of energy and its structural characteristics. One prototype of a PSR for experimental purposes has been designed and manufactured, and is used in an experimental setup to carry out the experimental studies. The comparative results show that the low-weight PSR has much more advantages in transient response because its time constant of the solid wall is much less than that of a shell-and-tube recuperator or plate-fin recuperator. The PSR is quite fit for application to the marine or vehicle gas turbine engine that works under changeable conditions.