Numerical simulation of airflow through the inlet duct of a gas to air heat exchanger

摘要

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a useful tool in the design and modification of heat exchanger inlet ducts. In this paper, results of three dimensional numerical simulations of the air flow through the cold-side inlet duct of a gas to airheat exchanger are reported and compared with the results of a physical model study conducted at the Alden Research Laboratory, Inc. (ARL). Two inlet duct configurations tested in the physical model are simulated using the finite element-based fluid flowanalysis program FIDAP 7.62 (FLUENT, Inc.)Results of the numerical study show good agreement with both qualitative and quantitative measurements taken in the physical model. Specifically, the calculated velocity distribution at the exit of the inlet duct (upstream of the heat exchanger tubebundle inlet) closely agrees with the experimental data. Furthermore, secondary flow patterns are accurately simulated using the appropriate anisotropic turbulence model. The use of a porous media calculation to model the steam coil, the tube bundle inlet and a set of perforated plate flow guides is discussed.