Numerical Simulation of Heat Exchangers: Advances in Numerical Heat Transfer Volume V

231 Pages·2017·16.1 MB·English

by  John P.

ADVANCES IN
NUMERICAL HEAT TRANSFER
Volume 5
Series in Computational and Physical Processes
in Mechanics and Thermal Sciences
Series Editors
W. J. Minkowycz
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
E. M. Sparrow
Mechanical Engineering
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Advances in Numerical Heat Transfer, Volume 5, edited by W. J. Minkowycz,
E. M. Sparrow, J. P. Abraham, and J. M. Gorman
Advances in Numerical Heat Transfer, Volume 4, edited by W. J. Minkowycz,
E. M. Sparrow, and J. P. Abraham
Advances in Numerical Heat Transfer, Volume 3, edited by W. J. Minkowycz
and E. M. Sparrow
Advances in Numerical Heat Transfer, Volume 2, edited by W. J. Minkowycz
and E. M. Sparrow
Advances in Numerical Heat Transfer, Volume 1, edited by W. J. Minkowycz
ADVANCES IN
NUMERICAL HEAT TRANSFER
Volume 5
NUMERICAL
SIMULATION OF
HEAT EXCHANGERS
Edited by
W. J. Minkowycz
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
E. M. Sparrow
Mechanical Engineering
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
J. P. Abraham
School of Engineering
University of St. Thomas
St. Paul, Minnesota
J. M. Gorman
Mechanical Engineering
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
CRC Press
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Contents
Preface......................................................................................................................vii
Editors .......................................................................................................................ix
Contributors ..............................................................................................................xi
Chapter 1 Heat Exchangers and Their Fan/Blower Partners Modeled as
a Single Interacting System by Numerical Simulation ........................1
E. M. Sparrow, J. M. Gorman, J. P. Abraham,
and W. J. Minkowycz
Chapter 2 On Computational Heat Transfer Procedures for Heat
Exchangers in Single-Phase Flow Operation .....................................59
Bengt Sundén
Chapter 3 Utilization of Numerical Methods and Experiments for the
Design and Tests of Gasketed Plate Heat Exchangers .......................99
Selin Aradag, Sadik Kakac, and Ece Özkaya
Chapter 4 Numerical Methods for Micro Heat Exchangers .............................131
Bengt Sundén, Zan Wu, and Mohammad Faghri
Chapter 5 Review of Advances in Heat Pipe Analysis and Numerical
Simulation ........................................................................................173
Amir Faghri and Theodore L. Bergman
Index ......................................................................................................................213
v

Preface
Heat exchanger design is closely linked to the nature of the participating fluid flows.
In turn, the nature of the flow is strongly affected by the characteristics of the
fluid mover that delivers the flow. There is substantial evidence that the pressure–
flow characteristics of a fluid mover are affected by the flow resistance of the heat
exchanger, so that the manufacturer-supplied fan or blower curves are, at best,
approximate. This state of affairs serves to motivate the work reported in Chapter 1,
which advocates treating the fluid mover and the heat exchanger as a single system.
The chapter applies this approach to several real-world heat exchanger situations and
demonstrates the errors that occur when the system concept is not utilized.
In Chapter 2, various computational approaches for the analysis of transport phe-
nomena are briefly summarized and recent works are cited. Use of computational
fluid dynamics (CFD) methods for complex fluid flow and heat transfer situations are
described for important engineering applications, including plate heat exchangers,
radiators, and heat recovery units. The results reveal that the CFD approach can
reveal important physical processes as well as provide satisfactory results when
compared with corresponding experiments. Neural network configurations are intro-
duced along with a case study illustrating the validation of the network based on
experimentally measured databases for Nusselt number and friction factor for three
kinds of heat exchangers. A generic algorithm for thermal design and optimization
of a compact heat exchanger is described. This generic algorithm can provide good
auto-search and optimization capabilities in the thermal design of heat exchangers
without the use of a trial-and-error process.
Chapter 3 primarily focuses on numerical studies performed to analyze a plate
heat exchanger composed of specific types of plates and the experimental validation
of the numerical predictions. Different turbulent models, mainly k-ε, RNG k-ε,
EARSM k-ε, k-ω, and SST k-ω, are used for the simulations and validations. The
effects of several geometrical properties on exchanger performance are investigated
numerically with the help of the validated models. The geometrical parameters
include channel height, wave amplitude, and distribution channel layout. New plate
designs with improved thermal and hydraulic performance are obtained.
Chapter 4 presents a state-of-the-art overview of numerical methods for single-
phase and two-phase flows in microchannel heat exchangers. Micro heat exchangers
are characterized by at least one of the participating fluids being confined in channels
or tubes with typical dimensions of less than 1 mm. Governing equations are con-
veyed for both these types of flow, with and without phase change. Characteristics
of multiphase modeling approaches (i.e., Eulerian–Eulerian, Eulerian–Lagrangian,
and direct numerical simulation) are compared. The advantages and disadvantages
of several continuum methods for interface evolution (e.g., volume of fluid, level set,
phase field, front tracking, and moving mesh) are discussed along with the meso-
scopic lattice Boltzmann method. Methods to deal with the mass nonconservation in
the level set method are provided.
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viii Preface
In Chapter 5, an overview of the analysis and numerical simulations of various
types of heat pipes under a variety of operating conditions is presented. The signifi-
cant and rapid progression of heat pipe technology is examined from the perspective
of state-of-the-art modeling and the full simulation that has become possible in the
last few decades. Simulations can accurately predict the thermal performance of
heat pipes under various operating conditions, including steady-state, continuum
transient, and frozen start-up solutions, despite the associated complex multiphase
and multi domain transport phenomena. Steady-state and transient heat pipe simula-
tions involve conjugate heat transfer involving the wall, wick, and vapor, although
pulsating and loop heat pipes require more fundamental research efforts to explain
the physical phenomena of these devices. Furthermore, simulation of the liquid–
vapor interface requires consideration of the multiphase phenomena within various
wick structures and will provide future understanding and prediction of the heat
transport limitation in heat pipes.
Editors
W. J. Minkowycz is the James P. Hartnett professor of mechanical engineering at
the University of Illinois at Chicago. He joined the faculty at UIC in 1966. His pri-
mary research interests lie in the numerical modeling of fluid flow and heat transfer
problems. He has performed seminal research in several branches of heat transfer
and has published more than 175 papers in archival journals, in addition to winning
numerous awards for his excellence in teaching, research, and service to the heat
transfer community. Professor Minkowycz is also editor-in-chief of the International
Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Numerical Heat Transfer, and International
Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer.
E. M. Sparrow is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a pro-
fessor of mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis,
Minnesota. He has worked on heat transfer problems for more than 60 years, start-
ing at the Raytheon Company and continuing at the National Advisory Committee
for Aeronautics Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory before coming to the University
of Minnesota. He has published more than 700 peer-reviewed articles in the field of
engineering and has directed more than 100 doctoral theses to completion. His cur-
rent interests include industrial applications and real-world problems in addition to
numerical heat transfer and fluid flow. He is a member of the National Academy of
Engineering.
J. P. Abraham is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of
St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. His research activities extend broadly over sev-
eral facets of heat transfer, climatology, fluid flow, biomedical engineering, and
renewable energy. In addition to his work in heat transfer, he is also actively engaged
with climatology and biomedical engineering. Currently, he has about 230 journal
publications, and numerous conference presentations, book chapters, and patents. He
is an established spokesman for scientists and engineers who are concerned about
the long-term effects of climate change on sustainability.
J. M. Gorman is a research associate at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis,
Minnesota. His research encompasses all facets of mechanical engineering, includ-
ing thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and structural mechanics. Other
research areas include alternative energy, traditional and nontraditional porous medi-
ums, biomedical devices, water treatment, and other industrial applications. His
teaching is focused on modeling and numerical simulation of engineering problems.
He has published about 40 papers in archival journals.
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