A Transient Model for Parallel Flow and Counter Flow Heat Exchangers

Author(s):  
K. Abbasi ◽  
M. Del Valle ◽  
A. P. Wemhoff ◽  
A. Ortega

The transient and steady-state response of single pass constant-flow (concentric parallel flow, concentric counter flow) heat exchangers was investigated using a finite volume method. Heat exchanger transients initiated by both step-change and sinusoidally varying hot stream inlet temperatures were investigated. The wall separating the fluid streams was modeled by conduction with thermal mass; hence the heat exchanger transient behavior is dependent on the thermal mass of the fluid streams as well as the internal wall. The outer wall is approximated as fully insulating. The time dependent temperature profiles were investigated as a function of heat exchanger dimensionless length and dimensionless time for both fluids. It was found that the transient response of the heat exchanger is controlled by a combination of the residence time and thermal capacitance of the fluid streams, the overall heat transfer coefficient between the fluid streams, and the thermal capacitance of the internal wall.

2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 377-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory F. Nellis

Effectiveness-NTU equations are derived for counter and parallel-flow heat exchangers with fluids having high velocities. In this case, the change in the kinetic energy occurring within the heat exchanger will significantly affect the temperature profiles. The effectiveness is found to depend on the usual non-dimensional variables that compare the heat exchanger conductance to the hot- and cold-side capacity rates and on four additional nondimensional quantities that reflect the magnitude and distribution of the kinetic energy on the hot and cold-sides of the heat exchanger. The governing differential equations are derived, nondimensionalized, and solved analytically for the case of an exponentially distributed kinetic energy. Graphical solutions are presented and interpreted for several cases. The solutions are applied to a particular case involving high velocities within a counter-flow heat exchanger used to produce cryogenic temperatures.


Author(s):  
A.A. Aleksandrov ◽  
V.A. Akatev ◽  
M.P. Tyurin ◽  
E.S. Borodina ◽  
O.I. Sedlyarov

Recuperative heat exchanger transient operation modes during the start-up were considered in order to identify the time for establishing the stationary mode. This is important in carrying out technological processes that require constancy in values of certain parameters ensuring both product quality and process safety. The research was carried out using the analytical method for direct-flow and counter-flow heat exchangers. It was demonstrated that stationary state establishment in the direct-flow heat exchangers occurs immediately after the heat carrier gets into the apparatus. It should be noted that the entire apparatus reaches the stationary mode, when the slower heat carrier arrives at the apparatus output section. In case of a heat exchanger with the heat carrier counter-flow, it was found out that at the moment of the less heated heat carrier appearing at the apparatus output section, it was having the highest temperature. Then the temperature was decreasing, and after passing its minimum was beginning to oscillate along a curve with the damping amplitude. In the case under consideration, the stationary process started, when the dimensionless time value was ϕ ≥ 0.5. The indicated solution was obtained under assumption that thermal and physical characteristics were constant in time and space. It was assumed that total heat capacity of the heat exchanger heat transferring wall was infinitesimal. This assumption is valid with an error of up to 1 % at Fo ≥ 100, which is the case in most practical cases. For apparatuses under study, a formula was also obtained for the time required to reach the stationary state


2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (1) ◽  
pp. 182-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farshad Kowsary ◽  
Mohammad Biglarbegian

A rigorous argument based on the characteristic of a monotonously increasing function is presented to establish the well-known fact of higher LMTD value of counter flow heat exchangers as compared to parallel flow ones.


2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Choon Ng ◽  
Jinbao Wang ◽  
Hong Xue

Abstract To develop effective heat exchangers for miniature and micro Joule-Thomson (J-T) cooling system, the performance of a recuperative heat exchanger is analyzed and evaluated. The evaluation is based on a theoretical model of the Hampson-type counter-flow heat exchanger. The effect of the pressure and temperature-dependent properties and longitudinal heat conduction are considered. The results of the numerical simulation are validated with the corresponding experimental measurements. The performance of the heat exchanger on effectiveness, flow and various heat conduction losses as well as liquefied yield fraction are analyzed and discussed. The simulation model provides a useful tool for miniature J-T cooler design.


Author(s):  
Kohei Koyama

Thermal performances of gas-to-gas counter-flow and parallel-flow microchannel heat exchanger have been investigated. Working fluid used is air. Heat transfer rates of both heat exchangers are compared with those calculated by a conventional log-mean temperature difference method. The results show that the log-mean temperature difference method can be employed to a parallel-flow configuration whereas that cannot be employed to a counter-flow configuration. This study focuses on the partition wall which separates hot and cold passages of the microchannel heat exchanger. The partition wall is negligibly thin for a conventional-sized heat exchanger. In contrast, the partition wall is thick compared with channel dimensions for a microchannel heat exchanger. A model which includes the effect of the thick partition wall is proposed to predict thermal performances of the microchannel heat exchangers. The heat transfer rates obtained by the model agree well with those obtained by the experiments. Thermal performances of the counter-flow and parallel-flow microchannel heat exchangers are compared with respect to one another based on temperature of the partition wall. The comparison results show that thermal performances of the counter-flow and parallel-flow microchannel heat exchangers are identical. This is due to performance degradation induced by the thick partition wall of the counter-flow microchannel heat exchanger. This study reveals that the thick partition wall dominates thermal performance of a gas-to-gas microchannel heat exchanger.


1992 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. S. V. Prasad ◽  
S. M. K. A. Gurukul

Use of traditional methods of rating can prove inaccurate or inadequate for many plate-fin heat exchanger applications. The superiority in practical situations of differential methods, based on dividing the heat exchanger into several sections and a step-wise integration of the heat transfer and pressure loss functions, is discussed. Differential methods are developed for counterflow, crossflow, and cross-counter-flow heat exchangers. The methods developed also avoid iterations at the section level calculations. Design of computer algorithms based on these methods is outlined. Two computer programs developed using the methods are presented and the results for a few typical cases are discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 813-814 ◽  
pp. 658-662
Author(s):  
Kavadiki Veerabhadrappa ◽  
Dhanush Dayanand ◽  
Darshan Dayanand ◽  
Vinayakaraddy ◽  
K.N. Seetharamu ◽  
...  

The development of heat exchangers from two streams to multi-stream passage arrangement becomes a key problem for heat exchanger design. In this paper, a new design is developed for multi-stream (four-channel) heat exchanger. Multi-channel heat exchangers are extensively used in refrigeration and air conditioning, chemical industries, milk pasteurization, cryogenics industries and energy-recovery applications due to their higher heat transfer rates. The focus of this study is to determine the performance of four-channel counter flow heat exchanger. The hot and cold fluids are assumed to recirculate and exchange heat between them. Finite element model of the heat exchanger is developed based on the detailed geometry and the specific working conditions with the help of which effectiveness of the four-channel heat exchanger is computed. Non-Dimensional parameters are introduced which makes the analysis more versatile. The effectiveness is computed for different values of NTU and heat capacity ratio.


Author(s):  
Ahmad Fakheri

The heat exchanger efficiency is defined as the ratio of the actual heat transfer in a heat exchanger to the optimum heat transfer rate. The optimum heat transfer rate, qopt, is given by the product of UA and the Arithmetic Mean Temperature Difference, which is the difference between the average temperatures of hot and cold fluids. The actual rate of heat transfer in a heat exchanger is always less than this optimum value, which takes place in an ideal balanced counter flow heat exchanger. It has been shown that for parallel flow, counter flow, and shell and tube heat exchanger the efficiency is only a function of a single nondimensional parameter called Fin Analogy Number. The function defining the efficiency of these heat exchangers is identical to that of a constant area fin with an insulated tip. This paper presents exact expressions for the efficiencies of the different cross flow heat exchangers. It is shown that by generalizing the definition of Fa, very accurate results can be obtained by using the same algebraic expression, or a single algebraic expression can be used to assess the performance of a variety of commonly used heat exchangers.


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