Experimental and Numerical Analysis of a Plate Heat Exchanger Using Variable Heat Transfer Coefficient

Abstract

Thermal design and analysis of heat exchangers are predominantly conducted considering constant heat transfer coefficients. However, these vary along the length and affect the calculations of heat transfer rates and area allocations. The current paper investigates the variations in the heat transfer coefficients in plate heat exchangers (PHX), using different numerical approaches. The heat transfer coefficient is calculated at the inlet, outlet, and systematically selected intermediate points for each method. The analysis is conducted for two different systems, i.e., a laboratory-scale and an industrial scale PHX at different chevron angles. It is concluded that the effect of the variable heat transfer coefficient is more significant for the large-scale heat exchanger due to high flow rates, geometrical specifications, Reynolds number, and thermophysical properties. The deviation of the local heat transfer coefficient along the heat exchanger length is approximately 9–14% and 3–6% for industrial and laboratory scale PHX, while an area deviation of around 15% is observed.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support provided by Northumbria University, UK under reference# RDF20/EE/MCE/SHAHZAD. Also, acknowledge the support provided by Engr. Shahzeen Syed (an undergraduate student at KFUEIT) for graphical work presented in Table 2.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Muhammad Ahmad Jamil

Muhammad Ahmad Jamil is a PhD student in the Mechanical and Construction Engineering Department, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne UK. He earned his master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, in 2017. He has worked as co-PI in various funded projects at the national and international levels. Currently, he is working in the fields of cooling, heat transfer, and clean water. He has published 20 peer-reviewed journal papers.

Talha S. Goraya

Talha S. Goraya is currently a bachelor student of mechanical engineering at Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology (KFUEIT), Rahim-Yar-Khan, Pakistan. He is working on heat exchanger analysis and optimization. He has Published 4 peer-reviewed journals papers.

Haseeb Yaqoob

Haseeb Yaqoob is working as a Lecturer at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim-Yar-Khan, Pakistan. Currently, he is teaching and conducting research in the fields of heat transfer, renewable energy, and alternative fuels.

Muhammad Wakil Shahzad

Muhammad Wakil Shahzad is working as Senior Lecturer in Mechanical and Construction Engineering Department at Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. His research is focused on water treatment, hybrid desalination processes (MEDAD), renewables, and their integration for green and sustainable water production. His hybrid MEDAD cycle is successfully commercialized in Saudi Arabia. He developed solar thermal energy storage batteries for building heating network decarbonization. He is working on commercial buildings and data center cooling using non-conventional air-conditioning technology. He is a member of two spin-off companies: MEDAD technologies for water treatment system commercialization and K-COOL for cooling cycle commercialization. He holds 8 international patents, published 2 book, 17 book chapters, 60 peer-reviewed journal papers and over 100 conference papers.

Syed M. Zubair

Syed M. Zubair is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. His research interest involves both applied as well as fundamental areas of energy and desalination systems, refrigeration and air-conditioning systems, and fouling of heat exchangers. He has participated in several research projects, including projects supported by MIT-KFUPM Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy. The heating and dehumidification technology he developed with MIT collaborators ended up in a commercial application to treat produced water from oil and gas wells. He has published over 250 research papers and was awarded 8 US patents. Currently, he is serving on the editorial board of the International Journal of Refrigeration and as Associate Editor of Nature Partner Journal Clean Water.