Numerical Analysis of Parametric Effects of Tube-Strip Heat Exchanger for Fuel Cell Vehicles

Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Wu ◽  
Hengyun Zhang ◽  
Zhehua Zhu ◽  
Shen Xu ◽  
Yuchen Deng

Abstract Fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) are facing more severe heat dissipation challenges since the fuel cell stack is required to operate at a lower temperature and thus smaller heat exchanger temperature difference. Thorough analysis of the parametric effects is required to maximize the thermal performance. In this paper, a numerical analysis of the tube-strip heat exchanger is conducted for the targeted application in a high performance passenger FCV. The representative unit cell is used to model the detailed fluid flow and heat transfer at both hot and cold sides in the theoretical framework of volume averaging. Based on the numerical computation over the representative unit cells, the flow, temperature and pressure fields are obtained, which are then utilized to obtain the cell-level heat transfer coefficient between the hot and cold fluids. The obtained heat transfer coefficients are used for the estimation of the heat exchanger thermal performance based on the effectiveness-NTU method. Different air and liquid water flow rates are first examined. Various design parameters such as fin height, fin spacing, fin thickness and fin material are examined through the heat transfer analysis at the unit cell level. Attention is also paid on the improvement of the air-side performance by changing fin shapes to increase the heat transfer coefficient of the heat exchanger. The result shows that the total exchanged heat of the aluminum louvered fin heat exchanger, with fin thickness of 0.06mm, fin height of 5mm and fin spacing of 1mm, can reach 59.24 kW at the liquid flowrate of 120L/min and air velocity of 5m/s.

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Swanand Gaikwad ◽  
Ashish Parmar

AbstractHeat exchangers possess a significant role in energy transmission and energy generation in most industries. In this work, a three-dimensional simulation has been carried out of a shell and tube heat exchanger (STHX) consisting of segmental baffles. The investigation involves using the commercial code of ANSYS CFX, which incorporates the modeling, meshing, and usage of the Finite Element Method to yield numerical results. Much work is available in the literature regarding the effect of baffle cut and baffle spacing as two different entities, but some uncertainty pertains when we discuss the combination of these two parameters. This study aims to find an appropriate mix of baffle cut and baffle spacing for the efficient functioning of a shell and tube heat exchanger. Two parameters are tested: the baffle cuts at 30, 35, 40% of the shell-inside diameter, and the baffle spacing’s to fit 6,8,10 baffles within the heat exchanger. The numerical results showed the role of the studied parameters on the shell side heat transfer coefficient and the pressure drop in the shell and tube heat exchanger. The investigation shows an increase in the shell side heat transfer coefficient of 13.13% when going from 6 to 8 baffle configuration and a 23.10% acclivity for the change of six baffles to 10, for a specific baffle cut. Evidence also shows a rise in the pressure drop with an increase in the baffle spacing from the ranges of 44–46.79%, which can be controlled by managing the baffle cut provided.


2014 ◽  
Vol 552 ◽  
pp. 55-60
Author(s):  
Zheng Ming Tong ◽  
Peng Hou ◽  
Gui Hua Qin

In this article, we use BR0.3 type plate heat exchanger for experiment,and the heat transfer coefficient of the mixed plate heat exchanger is explored. Through the test platform of plate heat exchanger, a large number of experiments have been done in different mixed mode but the same passageway,and lots experimental data are obtained. By the linear fitting method and the analysis of the data, the main factors which influence the heat transfer coefficient of mixed plate heat exchanger were carried out,and the formula of heat transfer coefficient which fits at any mixed mode plate heat exchanger is obtained, to solve the problem of engineering calculation.The fact , there is no denying that the result which we get has great engineering significance


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.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 716
Author(s):  
Saulius Pakalka ◽  
Kęstutis Valančius ◽  
Giedrė Streckienė

Latent heat thermal energy storage systems allow storing large amounts of energy in relatively small volumes. Phase change materials (PCMs) are used as a latent heat storage medium. However, low thermal conductivity of most PCMs results in long melting (charging) and solidification (discharging) processes. This study focuses on the PCM melting process in a fin-and-tube type copper heat exchanger. The aim of this study is to define analytically natural convection heat transfer coefficient and compare the results with experimental data. The study shows how the local heat transfer coefficient changes in different areas of the heat exchanger and how it is affected by the choice of characteristic length and boundary conditions. It has been determined that applying the calculation method of the natural convection occurring in the channel leads to results that are closer to the experiment. Using this method, the average values of the heat transfer coefficient (have) during the entire charging process was obtained 68 W/m2K, compared to the experimental result have = 61 W/m2K. This is beneficial in the predesign stage of PCM-based thermal energy storage units.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ahmad Jamil ◽  
Talha S. Goraya ◽  
Haseeb Yaqoob ◽  
Muhammad Wakil Shahzad ◽  
Syed M. Zubair

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Fajardo ◽  
D. Yabrudy ◽  
D. Barreto ◽  
C. Negrete ◽  
B. Sarria ◽  
...  

Abstract Nowadays, maintenance is based on the synergistic integration of operational reliability and timely maintenance, which guarantees the required availability and optimal cost. Operational reliability implies producing more, better performance, longer life, and availability. Timely maintenance involves the least time out of service, fewer maintenance costs, fewer operating costs, and less money. In this work, we study the preheating train of a crude distillation unit of a refinery, which processes 994 m3/h, which presents a formation of a fouling layer inside it. Among the impacts of fouling is the reduction in the effectiveness of heat transfer, the increase in fuel consumption, the increase in CO2 emissions, the increase in maintenance costs, and the decrease in the profit margin of process. An appropriate cleaning program of the surface of the heat exchanger network is necessary to preserve its key performance parameters, preferably close to design values. This paper presents the maintenance method centered on energy efficiency, to plan the intervention of the preheating train equipment maintenance, which considers the economic energy improvement and the cost of the type of maintenance. The method requires the calculation of the fouling evolution from which the global heat transfer coefficient is obtained, and the heat flux is determined as a function of time. It was observed that, as time passes, the resistance provided by fouling increases and that the overall heat transfer coefficient decreases. The energy efficiency centered maintenance has an indicator of economic justification (factor J) that relates the economic-energy improvement achieved when performing maintenance, taking into account the economic effort invested. Depending on the cost of the type of maintenance to be performed, a threshold should be chosen, from which the maintenance activity is justified. The effectiveness values of the heat exchanger (ε) and the J indicator are used to form a criticality matrix, which allows prioritizing maintenance activities in each equipment. The planning of the implementation dates of the maintenance of each heat exchanger, from the maintenance method centered on energy efficiency applied to the crude distillation unit’s, preheat train, constitutes a contribution in this specific field. The conceptual design of the maintenance method centered on energy efficiency presented in this work is feasible for other heat transfer equipment used in oil refineries and industry in general. The procedure developed uses real operation values, and with its implementation, a saving of 150000 US dollars was achieved.


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