Prediction of Oscillatory Heat Transfer Coefficient in Heat Exchangers of Thermo-Acoustic Systems

Author(s):  
M. G. K. Machesa ◽  
L. K. Tartibu ◽  
F. K. Tekweme ◽  
M. O. Okwu

Abstract The characterisation of heat transfer in oscillatory flow of thermo-acoustic based heat exchangers is a cumbersome issue. This is due to the nature of the heat transfer between the gas particles moving along the device at high amplitude and the solid surface of the heat exchangers. In addition, the change in velocity, pressure and temperature induces nonlinear effect. As a result, the performance of heat exchangers negatively affects the efficiency of thermo-acoustic systems. Hence, it is necessary to determine to oscillatory heat transfer coefficient in order to measure the performance of heat exchangers in thermo-acoustic systems. Although it is possible to conduct experimental investigation or perform numerical analysis in order to determine oscillatory heat transfer coefficient, the former requires costly time consuming experiment while the latter involves the resolution of complex mathematical models. In this paper, an improved adaptive neurofuzzy inference system and artificial neural network trained by particle swarm optimization are proposed to predict oscillatory heat transfer coefficient. This paper is intending to provide clarity on the benefits of these new approaches on the computation of geometrical configuration and the working parameters of heat exchangers in thermo-acoustic systems.

Author(s):  
Xiaoan Mao ◽  
Lei Shi ◽  
Artur J. Jaworski ◽  
Wasan Kamsanam

In thermoacoustic devices, an acoustic wave interacts with internal solid structures such as thermoacoustic stacks (regenerators), to either produce acoustic power due to an imposed temperature gradient, or to produce a heat pumping effect by an acoustic excitation. A cold and hot heat exchangers are usually placed on either side of these internal solid structures to enable heat communication between the thermoacoustic devices and their surroundings. Heat exchangers of various geometries have been extensively studied in steady flows and results are available from a collection of published articles and handbooks. However, there is still a lack of data for heat exchangers in an oscillatory flow, because the interaction of oscillatory flow with the solid boundary is governed by complicated fluid flow and heat transfer processes that are not fully understood. This work is a step towards a better understanding of the heat transfer mechanisms in the acoustically induced oscillatory flow within thermoacoustic systems, in particular obtaining the quantitative description of the heat transfer between heat exchangers and the stack. The assembly of a stack and heat exchangers is replaced by a simplified “stack-less” pair of heat exchangers, in order to focus on the generic heat transfer processes rather than the intricacies of practical thermoacoustic systems. The fins of the hot and cold heat exchangers are kept at constant temperatures by virtue of resistive heating and water cooling, respectively. Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) are used to obtain the temperature and velocity fields around the fins. The heat flux between the heat exchanger fins and the fluid is analyzed phase-by-phase. The time dependent local heat transfer coefficient is obtained from the temperature gradient in the thermal boundary layer. The measurements are conducted at various levels of acoustic excitation in order to study the correlation between the non-dimensional heat transfer coefficient Nu and the Reynolds number. The effect of the flow behaviour at the end of the plates on the temperature field in the region is also studied. It is hoped that this work could lead to a better understanding of heat transfer on short plates in the acoustically induced oscillatory flows.


2009 ◽  
Vol 62-64 ◽  
pp. 694-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Akpabio ◽  
I.O. Oboh ◽  
E.O. Aluyor

Shell and tube heat exchangers in their various construction modifications are probably the most widespread and commonly used basic heat exchanger configuration in the process industries. There are many modifications of the basic configuration which can be used to solve special problems. Baffles serve two functions: Most importantly, they support the tubes in the proper position during assembly and operation and prevent vibration of the tubes caused by flow-induced eddies, and secondly, they guide the shell-side flow back and forth across the tube field, increasing the velocity and the heat transfer coefficient. The objective of this paper is to find the baffle spacing at fixed baffle cut that will give us the optimal values for the overall heat transfer coefficient. To do this Microsoft Excel 2003 package was employed. The results obtained from previous studies showed that to obtain optimal values for the overall heat transfer coefficient for the shell and tube heat exchangers a baffle cut of 20 to 25 percent of the diameter is common and the maximum spacing depends on how much support the tubes need. This was used to validate the results obtained from this study.


Author(s):  
Ahmet Selim Dalkiliç ◽  
Ali Celen ◽  
Mohamed M. Awad ◽  
Somchai Wongwises

Heat exchangers using in-tube condensation have great significance in the refrigeration, automotive and process industries. Effective heat exchangers have been rapidly developed due to the demand for more compact systems, higher energy efficiency, lower material costs and other economic incentives. Enhanced surfaces, displaced enhancement devices, swirl-flow devices and surface tension devices improve the heat transfer coefficients in these heat exchangers. This study is a critical review on the determination of the condensation heat transfer coefficient of pure refrigerants flowing in vertical and horizontal tubes. The authors’ previous publications on this issue, including the experimental, theoretical and numerical analyses are summarized here. The lengths of the vertical and horizontal test sections varied between 0.5 m and 4 m countercurrent flow double-tube heat exchangers with refrigerant flowing in the inner tube and cooling water flowing in the annulus. The measured data are compared to theoretical and numerical predictions based on the solution of the artificial intelligence methods and CFD analyses for the condensation process in the smooth and enhanced tubes. The theoretical solutions are related to the design of double tube heat exchangers in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump applications. Detailed information on the in-tube condensation studies of heat transfer coefficient in the literature is given. A genetic algorithm (GA), various artificial neural network models (ANN) such as multilayer perceptron (MLP), radial basis networks (RBFN), generalized regression neural network (GRNN), and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and various optimization techniques such as unconstrained nonlinear minimization algorithm-Nelder-Mead method (NM), non-linear least squares error method (NLS), and Ansys CFD program are used in the numerical solutions. It is shown that the convective heat transfer coefficient of laminar and turbulent condensing film flows can be predicted by means of theoretical and numerical analyses reasonably well if there is a sufficient amount of reliable experimental data. Regression analysis gave convincing correlations, and the most suitable coefficients of the proposed correlations are depicted as compatible with the large number of experimental data by means of the computational numerical methods.


2013 ◽  
Vol 832 ◽  
pp. 160-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Alam Khairul ◽  
Rahman Saidur ◽  
Altab Hossain ◽  
Mohammad Abdul Alim ◽  
Islam Mohammed Mahbubul

Helically coiled heat exchangers are globally used in various industrial applications for their high heat transfer performance and compact size. Nanofluids can provide excellent thermal performance of this type of heat exchangers. In the present study, the effect of different nanofluids on the heat transfer performance in a helically coiled heat exchanger is examined. Four different types of nanofluids CuO/water, Al2O3/water, SiO2/water, and ZnO/water with volume fractions 1 vol.% to 4 vol.% was used throughout this analysis and volume flow rate was remained constant at 3 LPM. Results show that the heat transfer coefficient is high for higher particle volume concentration of CuO/water, Al2O3/water and ZnO/water nanofluids, while the values of the friction factor and pressure drop significantly increase with the increase of nanoparticle volume concentration. On the contrary, low heat transfer coefficient was found in higher concentration of SiO2/water nanofluids. The highest enhancement of heat transfer coefficient and lowest friction factor occurred for CuO/water nanofluids among the four nanofluids. However, highest friction factor and lowest heat transfer coefficient were found for SiO2/water nanofluids. The results reveal that, CuO/water nanofluids indicate significant heat transfer performance for helically coiled heat exchanger systems though this nanofluids exhibits higher pressure drop.


2013 ◽  
Vol 655-657 ◽  
pp. 461-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Su Fang Song

The three-dimensional model of heat exchangers with continuous helical baffles was built. The fluid flow dynamics and heat transfer of shell side in the helical baffled heat exchanger were simulated and calculated. The velocity, pressure and temperature distributions were achieved. The simulation shows that with the same baffle pitch, shell-side heat transfer coefficient increased by 25% and the pressure drop decreases by 18% in helical baffled heat exchanger compared with segmental helical baffles. With the analyzing of the flow and heat transfer in heat exchanger in 5 different inclination angles from 11°to 21°, it can be found that both shell side heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop will reduce respectively by 86% and 52% with the increases 11°to 21°of the inclination angles. Numerical simulation provided reliable theoretical reference for further engineering research of heat exchanger with helical baffles.


1964 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Jei Yang

An analysis is made of transient heat transfer in a vapor-heated heat exchanger with an arbitrary timewise-variant flow perturbation. The heat-transfer coefficient between the tube and coolant is assumed to vary like the n power of the coolant velocity. Results are obtained through the use of the perturbation technique. General relations are presented in closed form and their application is illustrated by carrying out some typical examples: step, linear, exponential, and sinusoidal transients in the coolant flow velocity. The influence of the system parameters on the variation of the coolant temperature is investigated. A phenomenon of resonance in the amplitude-ratio and phase-shift is disclosed for the oscillating flow transient. This phenomenon is explained by analyzing the enthalpy change of the coolant particle in the heat exchanger. The results are also compared with the analyses that have assumed a constant heat-transfer coefficient. Heat exchangers to which these results apply include the double-pipe and shell- and-tube type heat exchangers.


Author(s):  
Ahmet Selim Dalkiliç ◽  
Ali Celen ◽  
Mohamed M. Awad ◽  
Somchai Wongwises

Heat exchangers using in-tube condensation have great significance in the refrigeration, automotive and process industries. Effective heat exchangers have been rapidly developed due to the demand for more compact systems, higher energy efficiency, lower material costs and other economic incentives. Enhanced surfaces, displaced enhancement devices, swirl-flow devices and surface tension devices improve the heat transfer coefficients in these heat exchangers. This study is a critical review on the determination of the condensation heat transfer coefficient of pure refrigerants flowing in vertical and horizontal tubes. The authors’ previous publications on this issue, including the experimental, theoretical and numerical analyses are summarized here. The lengths of the vertical and horizontal test sections varied between 0.5 m and 4 m countercurrent flow double-tube heat exchangers with refrigerant flowing in the inner tube and cooling water flowing in the annulus. The measured data are compared to theoretical and numerical predictions based on the solution of the artificial intelligence methods and CFD analyses for the condensation process in the smooth and enhanced tubes. The theoretical solutions are related to the design of double tube heat exchangers in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump applications. Detailed information on the in-tube condensation studies of heat transfer coefficient in the literature is given. A genetic algorithm (GA), various artificial neural network models (ANN) such as multilayer perceptron (MLP), radial basis networks (RBFN), generalized regression neural network (GRNN), and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and various optimization techniques such as unconstrained nonlinear minimization algorithm-Nelder-Mead method (NM), non-linear least squares error method (NLS), and Ansys CFD program are used in the numerical solutions. It is shown that the convective heat transfer coefficient of laminar and turbulent condensing film flows can be predicted by means of theoretical and numerical analyses reasonably well if there is a sufficient amount of reliable experimental data. Regression analysis gave convincing correlations, and the most suitable coefficients of the proposed correlations are depicted as compatible with the large number of experimental data by means of the computational numerical methods.


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