Numerical Investigation of a Chevron Type Brazed Plate Heat Exchanger
A numerical investigation has been carried out in the present work to study flow characteristics and thermal performance of a chevron type brazed plate heat exchanger (PHE). A local element-by-element analysis utilizing e-NTU method is employed for simulating the heat exchanger. In this approach, Nusselt number is expressed in terms of friction factor which in turn, is given as a function of chevron angle of the heat exchanger. Water has been used as cold and hot fluid. Effect of fluid flow rate and inlet temperatures on the heat duty, overall heat transfer coefficient, fluid outlet temperatures and pressure drop have been studied. When compared with literature results of intermating plate heat exchangers, chevron type plate heat exchanger gives greater heat transfer enhancement, though with increased pressure drop.