Numerical Investigation on Maldistribution of Supercritical CO2 Flow Inside Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Qi ◽  
Ke Hanbing ◽  
Zhao Zhenxing ◽  
Li Yongquan ◽  
Liao Mengran
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Supercritical Co2 ◽  
Brayton Cycle ◽  
Printed Circuit ◽  
Co2 Flow ◽  
Thermal Physical Properties ◽  
Flow Nonuniformity

Supercritical CO2 (S-CO2) Brayton cycle has been identified as a promising power conversion method for the next generation of nuclear reactors due to its high efficiency and compactness. The heat exchanger is one of the most important components for S-CO2 Brayton cycle, and the printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) is supposed to be one of the promising candidates for the heat exchangers in S-CO2 Brayton cycle. It should be noted that the fluid maldistribution would induce heat transfer deterioration, especially for heat exchangers with micro- or mini-scale channels like PCHE. The thermal-physical properties of S-CO2 change violently during the heat transfer process, which makes the flow inside PCHE more complex. In this paper, the distribution of S-CO2 flow inside PCHE would be studied by 2-D CFD simulations. For the working fluids with constant properties, the flow nonuniformity increases with the mass flow rate. For the working fluid with S-CO2, the thermal-physical properties change significantly with temperature, and there exist a minimum value in the flow nonuniformity-mass flow rate curves (1.64 × 105 ≤ Rein ≤ 1.31 × 106). Insertion of baffles at manifolds could significantly improve the flow distribution uniformity and reduce the pressure drop. And it has been found that insertion of baffles at the collecting manifold has better performance compared with that at the distributing manifold or both.

Investigation of Supercritical CO2 Thermal Hydraulic Characteristics in a Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Fu ◽  
Xizhen Ma ◽  
Peiyue Li ◽  
Minghui Zhang ◽  
Sheng Li
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Supercritical Co2 ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Printed Circuit ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Printed circuit heat exchangers are considered for use as the intermediate heat exchangers (IHXs) in high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs), molten salts reactors (MSRs) and other advanced reactors. A printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) is a highly integrated plate-type compact heat exchanger with high-temperature, high-pressure applications and high compactness. A PCHE is built based on the technology of chemical etching and diffusion bonding. A PCHE with supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) as the working fluid was designed in this study based on the theory correlations. Three-dimensional numerical analysis was then conducted to investigate the heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of supercritical CO2 in the designed printed circuit heat exchanger using commercial CFD code, FLUENT. The distributions of temperature and velocity through the channel were modeled. The influences of Reynolds number on heat transfer and pressure drop were analyzed. The numerical results agree well with the theory calculations.

scholarly journals Features of creation and use of effective heat exchangers

2020 ◽  
Vol 216 ◽  
pp. 01124
Author(s):  
Shavkat Agzamov ◽  
Sevinar Nematova
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Heat Transfer Coefficient ◽  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Heat Exchange ◽  
Prandtl Number ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Heat Transfer Equation ◽  
The Heat Transfer Coefficient ◽  
Outside Diameter

The article discusses the features of the creation and use of efficient heat exchanger. Designs of pipes with a developed heat exchange is presented. The procedure for determining the degree of development of the heat exchanging surface, the heat transfer coefficient, and the calculation of the heat transfer equation are given. As a result of creating efficient heat exchangers, three main parameters are used: the pipe outside diameter; the estimated flow rate; the Prandtl number.

Industrial Technical Development and Qualification of Highly Efficient Stainless Steel Plates and Fins Heat Exchanger for Heat Removal Supercritical CO2 Brayton Cycle Applied to Nuclear Power Plants

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Tioual-Demange ◽  
Gaëtan Bergin ◽  
Thierry Mazet ◽  
Luc de Camas
Keyword(s):  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Supercritical Co2 ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Heat Removal ◽  
Eutectic Phase ◽  
Steel Plates ◽  
Brayton Cycle

Abstract The sCO2-4-NPP european project aims to develop an innovative technology based on supercritical CO2 (sCO2) for heat removal to improve the safety of current and future nuclear power plants. The heat removal from the reactor core will be achieved with multiple highly compact self-propellant, self-launching, and self-sustaining cooling system modules, powered by a sCO2 Brayton cycle. Heat exchangers are one of the key components required for advanced Brayton cycles using supercritical CO2. Fives Cryo company, a brazed plates and fins heat exchangers manufacturer, with its expertise in thermal and hydraulic design and brazing fabrication is developing compact, and highly efficient stainless steel heat exchanger solution for sCO2 power cycles, thanks to their heat exchange capability with low pinch and high available flow sections. The aim of the development of this specific heat exchanger technology is to achieve an elevated degree of regeneration. For this matter, plates and fins heat exchanger is a very interesting solution to meet the desired thermal duty with low pressure drop leading to a reduction in size and capital cost. The enhancement of the mechanical integrity of plates and fins heat exchanger equipment would lead to compete with, and even outweigh, printed circuit heat exchangers technology, classically used for sCO2 Brayton cycles. sCO2 cycle conditions expose heat exchangers to severe conditions. Base material selection is essential, and for cost reasons, it is important to keep affordable heat-resistant austenitic stainless steel grades, much cheaper than a nickel-based alloy. Another advantage of high compactness of plates and fins heat exchangers is the diminution of the amount of material used in the heat exchanger manufacturing, decreasing even more its cost. The challenge here is to qualify stainless steel plates and fins heat exchangers mechanical resistance, at cycle operating conditions, and meet with pressure vessels codes and regulations according to nuclear requirements. One critical point in the development of the heat exchangers is the design of the fins. As secondary surface, they allow the maximization of heat transfer at low pressure drop. At the same time mechanical strength has to be guaranteed. To withstand high pressure, fins thickness has to be significant, which makes the implementation complicated. Efforts were dedicated to successfully obtain an optimal shape. Forming of fins was therefore improved compared to conventional techniques. Important work was undertaken to define industrial settings to flatten the top of the fins leading to a maximum contact between the brazing alloy and the fins. Consequently brazed joints quantity is minimized inducing a diminution of the presence of eutectic phase, which is structurally brittle and limits the mechanical strength of the construction. A metallurgical study brings other elements leading to the prevention of premature rupture of the brazed structure. The idea is to determine an optimized solidification path and to identify a temperature range and holding time where the brazed joint is almost free of eutectic phase during the assembly process in the vacuum furnace.

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