The need for compact heat exchangers has led to the development of many types
of surfaces that enhance the rate of heat transfer, among them the perforated
plate heat exchangers, also known as matrix heat exchangers. The perforated
plate heat exchangers consist of a series of perforated plates that are
separated by a series of spacers. The present study investigates the heat
transfer characteristics of the package of perforated plates. Perforated
plates were 2 mm thick, with holes with 2 mm in diameter and porosity of
25.6%. The package of one, two, and three perforated plates was set in the
channel of the experimental chamber at which entrance was a thrust fan with
the ability to control the flow rate. The fluid flow rates, the temperatures
of the fluids at the inlet and outlet of the chamber and the temperature of
the air between the plates, were measured at the predefined locations in the
package and the experimental chamber. Based on the measurements, heat
transfer coefficients for the individual plates, as well as for the packages
of perforated plates were determined. In further research, an iterative
analytical procedure for investigation of the heat transfer process and the
overall heat transfer coefficient for the package of perforated plates were
developed. Based on these analytical and experimental results, conclusions
were drawn about the heat transfer in a package of perforated plates.
An Experimentally Validated Numerical Modeling Technique for Perforated Plate Heat Exchangers
