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Theoretical investigation of the influence of pipe diameter and exit channel width in welded plate heat exchanger on heat exchanger performance

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Abstract

In this study, to examine the effects of the changes in the inlet and outlet pipe diameters and exit channel width on the performance of a welded plate heat exchanger, a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis of the welded plate heat exchanger was carried out while changing the Rp-ch (ratio between the cross-section area of pipe and channel) and Rf-e (ratio between the end width of exit and front width of channel). The realizable k–ε model with the non-equilibrium wall function was used. As a result, the heat exchange performance decreased slightly, but the pressure drop decreased significantly by a decrease in Rp − ch and an increase in Rf − e. In addition, the results of this study confirmed that a change in Rp − ch affects the pressure drop of inlet and outlet manifolds significantly, and a change in Rf − e affects the pressure drop of the channel and outlet manifold significantly.

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Abbreviations

A:

Area [m2]

b:

Chevron wave amplitude[mm]

cp :

Specific heat [kJ/kg∙K]

Dp :

Pipe diameter [mm]

k:

Heat transfer and pressure drop [W/m∙K]

Lch :

Length of the channel [mm]

Lp :

Length of the plate [mm]

m:

Mass flow rate [kg/s]

Nu:

Chamber volume [m3]

Q:

Heat transfer capacity (kW)

Rp-ch :

Ratio between the cross-section area of pipe and channel

Rf-e :

Ratio between the end width of exit and front width of channel

Re:

Reynolds number

P:

Pressure [kPa]

PHE :

Plat heat exchanger

px :

Chevron pitch [mm]

T:

Plate thickness [mm]

ΔTlm :

Logarithmic mean temperature difference [K]

Pr:

Prandtl number

U:

Overall heat transfer coefficient [kW/m2∙K]

u:

Viscosity [Pa∙s]

T:

Temperature [K]

Wch :

Length of the channel [mm]

Wch,e :

End width of the channel [mm]

Wch,f :

Front width of the channel [mm]

Wh :

Width of the plate [mm]

β:

Chevron angle [°]

ρ:

Density [kg/m3]

μ:

Coefficient of viscosity [Nㆍs/ m2]

c:

Cold side

h:

Hot side

in:

Inlet

mani:

Manifold

o:

Outlet

tot:

Total

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by “Human Resources Program in Energy Technology” of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP), granted financial resource from the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy, Republic of Korea (No. 20194030202410) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE) of the Republic of Korea (20172010105410).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate school of Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea

    Jeonggyun Ham & Yunchan Shin

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chosun University, Gwangju, South Korea

    Honghyun Cho

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  1. Jeonggyun Ham
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  2. Yunchan Shin
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Correspondence to Honghyun Cho.

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Ham, J., Shin, Y. & Cho, H. Theoretical investigation of the influence of pipe diameter and exit channel width in welded plate heat exchanger on heat exchanger performance. Heat Mass Transfer 56, 759–771 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-019-02733-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-019-02733-8

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