Evaluation of Selected Methods of Mitigation of Media Flow Maldistribution Impact in Finned Cross-flow Heat Exchangers

Year 2013, Volume: 16 Issue: 4, 189 - 195, 01.12.2013

Tomasz Bury , Jan Składzień

Abstract

The up to date investigations concerning media flow maldistribution in heat exchangers have shown that this phenomena could significantly affect the efficiency of a heat exchanger operation. Analyses of a non-uniform gas inlet to a cross-flow finned heat exchangers are conducted by means of numerical simulations and experiments for over ten years at the Institute of Thermal Technology of the Silesian University of Technology. This paper summarizes works aimed in evaluation of different methods of mitigating a negative impact of the non-uniform gas inflow on a heat exchanger performance.

Keywords

Cross-flow heat exchangers, media flow maldistribution, experimental analyses, numerical simulations

References

• Anjun, J., Rui, Z., Sangkwon J. (2003). Experimental Investigation of Header Configuration on Flow Maldistribution in Plate-Fin Heat Exchanger. Applied Thermal Engineering, 23, 1235-1246.
• Berryman, R. J., Russell, C. M. B. (1987). The Effect of Maldistribution of Air Flow on Aircooled Heat Exchanger Performance, In: Maldistribution of Flow and Its Effect on Heat Exchanger Performance, J.B. Kitto & J.M. Robertson (Eds.), ASME Htd, Vol. 75.
• Bury, T. (2012). Impact of a Medium Flow Maldistribution on a Cross-flow Heat Exchanger Performance. In: Heat Exchangers - Basic Design Applications. J. Mitrovic (Ed.), InTech, Rijeka, Croatia.
• Bury, T., Składzień, J., Hanuszkiewicz-Drapała, M. (2009). Experimental and Numerical Analyses of a NonUniform Agents Flow Impact on a Finned Cross-Flow Heat Exchanger Effectiveness. Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimization, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems - ECOS 2009, Foz do Iguacu, Parana, Brasil, on CD.
• Bury, T., Składzień, J., Widziewicz K. (2010). Experimental and numerical investigations of impact of a medium flow modelling on a cross-flow ribbed heat exchanger efficiency. Proceedings of the 2nd Conference on Modern Energy Technologies, Systems and Units, Kraków, Poland.
• Hoffmann-Vocke, J., Neale, J., Walmsley, M. (2009). Flow Profiles on the Fin Side of a Plate Fin-And-Tube Heat Exchanger Experiencing Gross Flow Maldistribution. Proceedings of 7th World Conference on Experimental Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Kraków, Poland, on CD.
• Hoffmann-Vocke, J., Neale, J., Walmsley, M. (2011). The Effect of Inlet Conditions on the Air Side Hydraulic Resistance and Flow Maldistribution in Industrial Air Heaters. International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow, 32, 834-845.
• Lalot, S., Florent, P., Lang, S. K., Bergles, A. E. (1999). Flow Maldistribution in Heat Exchangers. Applied Thermal Engineering, 19, 847–863.
• Lee, K. S. & Oh S. J. (2004). Optimal Shape of the MultiPassage Branching System in a Single-Phase ParallelFlow Heat Exchanger. International Journal of Refrigeration, 27, 82-88.
• Luo, X. Roetzel, W. Lüdersen, U. (2001). The Single-Blow Transient Technique Considering Longtitudinal Core
• Conduction and Fluid Dispersion. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 44, 121-129. Meyer, C.J., Kröger, D.G. (1998). Plenum Chamber Flow Losses in Forced Draught Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers. Applied Thermal Engineering, 18, 875-893.
• Mueller, A. C. (1987). Effects of Some Types of Maldistribution on the Performance of Heat Exchanger. Heat Transfer Engineering, 8, 75-86.
• Piątek, R. (2003). Thermal Analysis of Plate Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger with Unequal Inlet of Media (Doctoral Dissertation), Institute of Thermal Technology, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice. (in Polish)
• Rao, B. P., Sunden, B., Das S. K. (2006). An Experimental Investigation of the Port Flow Maldistribution in Small and Large Plate Package Heat Exchangers. Applied Thermal Engineering, 26, 1919-1926.
• Shaji, K., Das S. K. (2010). The Effect of Flow Maldistribution on the Evaluation of Axial Dispersion and Thermal Performance During the Single-Blow Testing of Plate Heat Exchangers. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 53, 1591-1602.
• Srihari, N., Das S. K. (2008). Transient Response of MultiPass Plate Heat Exchangers Considering the Effect of Flow Maldistribution. Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification, 47, 695-707.
• Srihari, N., Rao, B.P., Sunden, B., Das S. K. (2005). Transient Response of
• Plate Heat Exchangers Considering Effect of Flow Maldistribution. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 48, 3231-3243.
• Wen, J., Li, Y. (2004). Study of Flow Distribution and Its Improvement on the Header of Plate-Fin Heat Exchanger. Cryogenics, 44, 823-831.
• Zhang, L. Z. (2009). Flow Maldistribution and Thermal Performance Deterioration in a Cross-Flow Air to Air Heat Exchanger With Plate-Fin Cores. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 52, 4500-4509.