Design of a checkerboard counterflow heat exchanger for industrial applications

TL;DR

This paper presents an optimized checkerboard air-gas heat exchanger design for industrial use, achieving higher efficiency than traditional finned recuperators through geometric optimization and the $$-NTU method.

Contribution

It introduces a novel checkerboard heat exchanger design optimized for maximum outlet air temperature increase, outperforming traditional recuperators.

Findings

Significant efficiency improvement over traditional finned recuperators.

Optimization of geometrical parameters enhances heat exchanger performance.

Use of the -NTU method for performance assessment.

Abstract

This work is devoted to the design of a checkerboard air-gas heat exchanger suitable for industrial applications. The design of the heat exchanger is optimized in order to obtain the maximum increase of the outlet air temperature, considering different geometrical design parameters and including manufacturing constraints. The heat exchanger efficiency has been assessed by means of the $\epsilon$-NTU method. The perfomances are compared with traditional finned recuperators and appreciable enhancement of the exchanger efficiency has been observed adopting the new design.