Thermal Performance Analyses of Concentric Pipe Counter Flow Heat Exchanger at Different Operating Conditions by CFD

Volume 9 Issue 1 November - January 2019

Research Paper

Thermal Performance Analyses of Concentric Pipe Counter Flow Heat Exchanger at Different Operating Conditions by CFD

Rajendra Pathak*, Ankur Geete**

*Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sushila Devi Bansal College of Technology, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India.

**Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sushila Devi Bansal College of Technology, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Pathak, R., and Geete, A. (2019). Thermal Performance Analyses of Concentric Pipe Counter Flow Heat Exchanger at Different Operating Conditions by CFD. i-manager’s Journal on Mechanical Engineering, 9(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.26634/jme.9.1.14805

Abstract

IIn this research work, a concentric pipe counter flow heat exchanger (CPCFHEx) is analyzed to optimize the performance at different conditions. CFD analyses are executed and temperature, pressure, velocity, and turbulence profiles are studied through pipes by CFD simulation method. Effectiveness, overall heat transfer coefficients, pressure drops, and change in velocities for CPCFHEx are found. Entropy, exergy, and entransy analyses are also done with different flow rates and inner pipe materials to find optimum operating conditions. After analyses, maximum temperature difference (i.e. 4.688 K) for cold fluid and effectiveness (i.e. 0.1562) are found for copper at low flow rates (i.e. 0.081 and 0.19 kg/s cold/hot) but maximum temperature difference (i.e. 1.595 K) for hot fluid is found for steel at high flow rates (i.e. 0.1 and 0.22 kg/s cold/hot). Maximum rate of heat transfer (i.e. 1.603 W) and overall heat transfer coefficient (i.e. 3.160 W/m2 K) but maximum rates of entropy generation (i.e. 1.144 J/s-K) and exergy destruction (i.e.343.2 J/s) are found for copper at high flow rates. Minimum rate of entransy dissipation (i.e. 19874.925 J-K/s) and entransy dissipation number (i.e. 0.4516) are obtained for steel at high flow rates. High conductive material for pipe and low flow rates of fluids are recommended to get better performance of HExs in terms of rate of heat transfer, effectiveness, entropy generation, and exergy destruction.