Investigation of the thermal and hydraulic properties of a novel heat exchanger for smart heat supply systems

TL;DR

This paper analyzes a shell and tube heat exchanger's thermal and hydraulic properties, comparing different designs and configurations to optimize heat transfer efficiency for smart heat supply systems.

Contribution

It introduces new models for various heat exchanger configurations and evaluates their thermal and hydrological performance, including experimental validation plans.

Findings

Twisted tubes outperform plain tubes in heat transfer efficiency.

Baffles enhance water mixing but can create dead zones.

Inlet and outlet lengths significantly affect temperature distribution.

Abstract

In this study, analysis of shell and tube heat exchanger (HE) is performed. Theory part on heat transfer, calculation of heat exchanger and general thermal and hydrological properties are described. Several models are developed and computed in different cases: plain tubes and twisted tubes; common and separated inlet and outlet; heat exchanger with different baffles and geometry inside a shell; changed gas matter, tube's material, tube's thickness; modification of inlet and outlet. Twisted tubes shows better heat transfer efficiency than plain tubes. Baffles increase intensity of water mixing but dead zones can be formed in some cases. Length of air inlet and outlet influence on temperature distribution that is important for location of measuring systems. Experimental setup for a gas-liquid case is being created to verify the modelling and test new heat exchanger.