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Comparison of various flow maldistribution quantification methods in mini heat exchangers
1Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology, Institute of Energy, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233, Gdańsk, Poland. pawel.dabrowski@pg.edu.pl.
Scientific Reports
|July 17, 2023
Summary
Different methods for quantifying flow maldistribution in heat exchangers yield varying results. A new normalized coefficient is proposed to ensure consistent analysis across thermohydraulic parameters for improved fluid distribution understanding.
Area of Science:
- Heat Transfer
- Fluid Dynamics
- Mechanical Engineering
Background:
- Flow maldistribution in heat exchangers significantly impacts thermal performance and efficiency.
- Existing quantification methods often lead to ambiguous interpretations of fluid distribution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare various flow maldistribution quantification methods.
- To identify inconsistencies arising from different thermohydraulic parameters.
- To propose a unified coefficient for accurate flow distribution assessment.
Main Methods:
- An experimentally validated numerical study of a 34-channel heat exchanger.
- Testing 16 cases with varying heat flux (50-80 kW/m²) and inlet velocities (0.1-0.4 m/s).
- Calculating flow maldistribution coefficients using velocity, pressure, and temperature profiles.
Main Results:
- Existing methods produced divergent results for flow maldistribution coefficients.
- Discrepancies suggest varied interpretations of standard coefficients in literature.
- A novel normalized flow maldistribution coefficient was developed.
Conclusions:
- The proposed normalized coefficient provides consistent results across velocity, pressure, and temperature.
- This unified approach aims to resolve ambiguities in heat exchanger flow distribution analysis.
- Standardization of maldistribution quantification is crucial for reliable performance evaluation.
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