Comparison of Numerical Simulation and Experimental Results for Crossflow and Counterflow Microchannel Heat Exchangers

Author(s):  
A. Halbritter ◽  
U. Schygulla ◽  
A. Wenka ◽  
K. Schubert

At the Institute for Micro Process Engineering of the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, micro heat exchangers are manufactured out of single foils of base metal alloys. The characterisation of the thermohydraulic properties of microchannel heat exchangers is done using water as heat transfer medium on both passages at temperatures of 10°C and 95°C. The present publication will give an overview of the numerical simulation as well as experimental results for crossflow and counterflow microchannel heat exchangers. A comparison of three crossflow heat exchangers with different microchannel structures, and two different types of counterflow microchannel heat exchangers is shown. For comparison, the heat transfer rate, the overall heat transfer coefficients and efficiencies as well as pressure drop obtained from experiment and theory is shown. For numerical simulation, two models have been used. An easily accessibly method is to use classical engineering codes based on the Nusselt theory (VDI Wa¨rmeatlas, 1994). A more detailed model is to use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with the commercially available tool FLUENT ®, where best estimation codes have been applied for numerical simulation. Both numerical calculations are a helpful complement to predict thermal and hydrodynamic behaviour of the microchannel heat exchangers.

Author(s):  
Wenhai Li ◽  
Ken Alabi ◽  
Foluso Ladeinde

Over the years, empirical correlations have been developed for predicting saturated flow boiling [1–15] and condensation [16–30] heat transfer coefficients inside horizontal/vertical tubes or micro-channels. In the present work, we have examined 30 of these models, and modified many of them for use in compact plate-fin heat exchangers. However, the various correlations, which have been developed for pipes and ducts, have been modified in our work to make them applicable to extended fin surfaces. The various correlations have been used in a low-order, one-dimensional, finite-volume type numerical integration of the flow and heat transfer equations in heat exchangers. The NIST’s REFPROP database [31] is used to account for the large variations in the fluid thermo-physical properties during phase change. The numerical results are compared with Yara’s experimental data [32]. The validity of the various boiling and condensation models for a real plate-fin heat exchanger design is discussed. The results show that some of the modified boiling and condensation correlations can provide acceptable prediction of heat transfer coefficient for two-phase flows in compact plate-fin heat exchangers.


2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiao Lin ◽  
Shuyun Wu ◽  
Yin Yuen ◽  
Yu-Chong Tai ◽  
Chin-Ming Ho

Abstract This paper presents an experimental investigation on MEMS impinging jets as applied to micro heat exchangers. We have fabricated MEMS single and array jet nozzles using DRIE technology, as well as a MEMS quartz chip providing a simulated hot surface for jet impingement. The quartz chip, with an integrated polysilicon thin-film heater and distributed temperature sensors, offers high spatial resolution in temperature measurement due to the low thermal conductivity of quartz. From measured temperature distributions, heat transfer coefficients are computed for single and array micro impinging jets using finite element analysis. The results from this study for the first time provide extensive data on spatial distributions of micro impinging-jet heat transfer coefficients, and demonstrate the viability of MEMS heat exchangers that use micro impinging jets.


Author(s):  
Sunil Mehendale

In HVACR equipment, internally enhanced round tube (microfin) designs such as axial, cross-grooved, helical, and herringbone are commonly used to enhance the boiling and condensing performance of evaporators, condensers, and heat pumps. Typically, such tubes are mechanically expanded by a mandrel into a fin pack to create an interference fit between the tube outside surface and the fin collar to minimize the thermal contact resistance between tube and fin. However, during this expansion process, the internal enhancements undergo varying amounts of deformation, which degrades the in-tube thermal performance. Extensive data on condensing heat transfer coefficients in microfin tubes have been reported in the open literature. However, researchers have seldom used expanded tubes to acquire and report such data. Hence, it is always questionable to use such pristine tube data for designing heat exchangers and HVACR systems. Furthermore, the HVACR industry has been experiencing steeply rising copper costs, and this trend is expected to continue in coming years. So, many equipment manufacturers and suppliers are actively converting tubes from copper to aluminum. However, because of appreciable differences between the material properties of aluminum and copper, as well as other manufacturing variables, such as mandrel dimensions, lubricant used, etc., tube expansion typically deforms aluminum fins more than copper fins. Based on an analysis of the surface area changes arising from tube expansion, and an assessment of the best extant in-tube condensation heat transfer correlations, this work proposes a method of estimating the impact of tube expansion on in-tube condensation heat transfer. The analysis leads to certain interesting and useful findings correlating fin geometry and in-tube condensation thermal resistance. This method can then be applied to more realistically design HVACR heat exchangers and systems.


2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (5) ◽  
pp. 975-978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Yong and ◽  
K. Sumathy

Quasi-local absorption heat transfer coefficients and pressure drop inside a horizontal tube absorber have been investigated experimentally, with R-22/DMA as the working pair. The absorber is a counterflow coaxial tube-in-tube heat-exchanger with the working fluid flowing in the inner tube while the water moves through the annulus. A large temperature gliding has been experienced during the absorption process. Experimental results show that the heat transfer coefficient of the forced convective vapor absorption process is higher compared to the vertical falling film absorption. A qualitative study is made to analyze the effect of mass flux, vapor quality and solution concentration on pressure drop and heat transfer coefficients. On the basis of the experimental results, a new correlation is proposed whereby the two-phase heat transfer is taken as a product of the forced convection of the absorption and the combined effect of heat and mass transfer at the interface. The correlation is found to predict the experimental data almost within 30 percent.


Author(s):  
Vishal Ramesh ◽  
Sandip Mazumder ◽  
Gurpreet Matharu ◽  
Dhaval Vaishnav ◽  
Syed Ali ◽  
...  

A combined Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and experimental approach is presented to determine (calibrate) the external convective heat transfer coefficients (h) around a partially-filled water tank cooled in a climactic chamber. A CFD analysis that includes natural convection in both phases (water and air) was performed using a 2D-axisymmetric tank model with three prescribed average heat transfer coefficients for the top, side and bottom walls of the tank. The commercial CFD code ANSYS-Fluent™, along with User-Defined Functions (UDFs), were utilized to compute and extract temperature vs. time curves at five different thermocouple locations within the tank. The prescribed h values were then altered to match experimentally obtained temperature-time data at the same locations. The calibration was deemed successful when results from the simulations exhibited match with experimental data within ±2°C for all thermocouples. The calibrated h values were finally used in full-scale 3D simulations and compared to the experimental data to test their accuracy. Predicted 3D results were found to agree with experimental results within the error of the calibration, thereby lending credibility to the overall approach.


2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaka Ito ◽  
Naoya Inokura ◽  
Takao Nagasaki

A light and compact heat exchange system was realized using two air-to-refrigerant airfoil heat exchangers and a recirculated heat transport refrigerant. Its heat transfer performance was experimentally investigated. Carbon dioxide or water was used as a refrigerant up to a pressure of 30 MPa. Heat transfer coefficients on the outer air-contact and inner refrigerant-contact surfaces were calculated using an inverse heat transfer method. Correlations were developed for the Nusselt numbers of carbon dioxide and water on the inner refrigerant-contact surface. Furthermore, we proposed a method to evaluate a correction factor corresponding to the thermal resistance of the airfoil heat exchanger.


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